Undercover Honeymoon
by bluegirl-783
Summary: A honeymoon away from the palace and Genovia...and more in the public eye
1. Post Coronation

_A/N: I love writing about our favourite couple on honeymoon (as you can tell); this is a different one, a more public honeymoon away from Genovia… let's see how we go_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me_

CHAPTER ONE: POST CORONATION

"So, what are we going to do now?" Clarisse asked conversationally as she sat down on the sofa, kicked her shoes off and stretched her legs out, watching Joseph pouring them two glasses of wine from the bottle on the tray provided by the maids.

It was two days after the coronation, and while the excitement of the day (and the realisation that there was now a new Queen on the throne) would take a while to dissipate (and Clarisse didn't blame the country for being over excited and wanting to continue the celebrations for the rest of the week and beyond), Clarisse suddenly felt the urge to move on, to want to do something different- for once in her life, she was as good as free and the feeling felt good… in fact, it felt wonderful, as for someone who had been trained to be dutiful her entire life, to give her life for her country and her husband, but now she could afford to be a little selfish.

"What do you mean, what are we going to do _now_?" Joseph inquired jokingly as he sat down next to her and handed her a glass of wine. "I was hoping that we could enjoy a glass of wine together before meeting Mia for dinner… I don't know about you but I think I'm glad that the celebrations are almost over… it's been quite a week."

"Indeed…it's been quite a month, two months in fact," she said thoughtfully.

"Actually…the last 10 years have been quite….interesting," and she chuckled softly at his choice of words.

"Interesting choice of words, my dear husband."

"Well, you have to admit that they have been interesting," he protested. "You have not only good but bad times…" he paused for a moment, both of them remembering the painful times that she had undergone with the deaths of her husband and son, as well as the forced distance imposed by her eldest son and the years of aloneness she had endured (although he would argue that she wasn't exactly alone, he was always there for her, as was Charlotte and the rest of the staff, although it wasn't exactly the same) before Mia had come back into her life.

"And then….Mia came along and while things were definitely interesting for a time…."

"You're definitely under estimating that time!" Clarisse said ruefully, although she had to admit that life had been much more interesting and colourful since Mia had returned. "It's amazing my hair hadn't turned grey during that time!"

"Even if it had, I'm sure you wouldn't have let be shown…" he teased as he ran a hand through her hair.

"Would you have loved me if I had had grey hair?" she suddenly turned to look at him, her expression suddenly serious and Joseph immediately felt guilty that he had said anything.

"Of course, my dear, of course- I love you for your heart, your mind and your soul, not your looks…. You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me but, again, it's not just because of your looks but because of who you are in side….."

Clarisse listened to his words with a straight face but she finally couldn't stand it and burst out laughing, Joseph quickly joining in as he realised that she had been teasing him.

"You little…" he began before he pulled her towards him and kissed her sweetly. "Now that just confirms that you really do have a poker face, and no one knows what you're thinking."

"You've seen that quite a lot over the years, haven't you? But I usually cannot succeed with you as you know me too well."

"As I should!" he laughed again and she joined in, snuggling into him.

"So," she asked after a while. "What are we going to do now?"

"I told you…. A glass of wine and then…."

"No, no… I meant- now that Mia is now on the throne and we are both retired, what are we going to now? I mean, Scott could always need you in an advisory capacity…."

"As could Mia," he retorted.

"True enough…. But I was thinking…. We haven't really had a honeymoon, have we?"

"Well, we did have a tiny one," he joked, running a hand up and down her shoulder. "Goodness knows what people would have thought if they hadn't known we were newlyweds…" he joked and she smiled vaguely- they had been caught several times kissing and cuddling throughout the palace and….they had spent quite a bit of time in her suite, the doors locked, she thought with a blush but was what they wanted.

"Yes, we did… but I was thinking….I would like to do some travelling, away from Genovia, as a private citizen."

"What about me? Am I to remain behind and continue to advise Scott?" he joked and she smiled as she turned in his arms and touched his cheek gently with her fingertips.

"Of course, I could go nowhere without you."

"Practically or otherwise?"

"Both- practically, you are the best in the business, as they say, and I wouldn't want anyone else looking after me; and otherwise- I won't enjoy travelling as a private citizen, enjoying the world through a different perspective, without my husband…. "

"Good, I was a bit worried," but she knew that he hadn't seriously been worried. "So, do you have any ideas about where you would like to go, as a private citizen, away from Genovia?"

"Well, I do want to do some of the usual countries- England, France, Spain (maybe you could show me where you grew up), Switzerland…. but it's up to you."

"Nonsense, you're also part of this too… but you do know that we will still have to be accompanied by our own team of bodyguards? I can't do this on my own, not that I could or would do it."

"I understand that…hopefully they will not be so obvious when we're travelling-bodyguards attract attention, and not necessarily good attention and I just want to be myself, even for a little while."

"I understand that as well, truly," he said gently and he did- he had always seen her frustration over the years, having been viewed as simply a Queen and a wife and mother, an institution rather than Clarisse, a woman; he, on the other hand, had always viewed her as a person, Clarisse, a woman first, rather than the other way around- that was probably part of the reason for the success of their relationship.

"So?" she looked at him expectantly and he realised that she was waiting for an answer. "Are we going on a honeymoon, for at least a month, away from Genovia?"

"Can you be away from Mia that long?" he asked seriously- he knew that it would be difficult to leave, considering that she only just succeeded her grandmother and there was still so much to learn and the person who could teach her the best was her grandmother.

"It will be difficult, I will grant you that- I know Mia needs me now more than ever…."

 _Mia needs me now more than ever before…._

The words brought up memories of another night, one in the recent past, when Clarisse had chosen to put others ahead of herself (although, seeing as the person was Mia, it was perfectly understandable, in retrospect- Joseph was still ashamed of himself for walking out on her) and had turned him down….but before the memory of the moment could bring them both down, Joseph squeezed her hand tightly.

"We don't have to go if you don't want to."

"But I fear that you will think me selfish for saying that I DO want to go…I know I should stay here, people are probably expecting me to stay here and help Mia through the first few weeks of her reign but….I need this…. WE need this….do you understand?"

"I do…and I'm sure Mia will too, once you explain it to her."

"So, are we going?" she looked at him anxiously now and he laughed.

"Give me a little time to get things organized- unlike other people, there are other things that need to be considered when planning a trip for you," he teased before he leaned over and lightly kissed her on the forehead. "But yes, consider yourself going on a long, extended honeymoon soon enough."


	2. Making Plans

_A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers; this story is a little different but I'm hoping it will work!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!_

"Morning, boss…what are you doing down here?" Scott asked cheerfully as Joseph strode into the security hub the following morning.

"I'm not your boss anymore, remember?"

"Sorry, it's a habit that's going to take a while to break."

"Had your morning meeting already?" Joe asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee from the always percolating coffee pot on the table, and sat down opposite Scott, who was surrounded by paperwork.

"Yep, all done and dusted…why? You officially retired on the day of the wedding, so why are you concerned?"

"I'm not, I was just making sure that I wasn't disturbing anything."

"You're not. A couple of guys have gone horse riding with Lord Devereaux, there's the usual perimeter scan…"

"Scott, I really didn't need to know what's going on!" Joseph raised his hands, palms towards him, with a laugh. "I'm retired, remember?"

"Sorry," Scott looked slightly abashed- he wanted Joe to know that everything was under control and he didn't have to worry about the palace or the security and Joseph seemed to sense his eagerness, understandable in some ways but he also knew that Scott was more than capable of being in charge.

"Relax, Scott, you don't need to prove anything to me, not anymore. I know that you are more than capable of handling anything that is thrown your way," and Scott smiled a little.

"Okay, just can't help it… anyway, what can I do for you? I would have thought that you and Her Majesty would still be recovering from the coronation."

"No, we've more than recovered from that, thanks for your concern, but I actually have a favour to ask of you."

"Oh?" Scott was intrigued- Joseph usually never asked for favours, as HOS, he had his plan in mind and everyone else was expected to follow it, although it was always the best plan, in retrospect.

"Well, as you know, Clarisse and I haven't had a decent honeymoon… what, with the coronation and all…"

"True enough," Scott agreed- the royal newlyweds had managed to sneak off for a day or two at the beach house, but had had to return on the eve of the coronation, not much of a honeymoon in his mind. "So…are you planning on returning to the beach house? If you are, I can send a few men with you, although you should be perfectly safe with only few."

"Actually, I was thinking of something more complicated than returning to the beach house…although it was great being at the beach house…"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Clarisse and I were discussing it, and Clarisse would like to do some travelling, as a private citizen."

"I see…"

"Which means that she doesn't want any publicity in regards to us travelling in Europe- she really doesn't want to be expected to make any public appearances wherever we are… she just wants to experience a normal honeymoon, as a normal person."

"How do you feel about that?"

"If she wants to do it, I don't want to stand in her way."

"Is that an opinion as her husband or as her HOS?"

" _Former_ Head of Security," Joseph correctly quickly.

"But, if you were still her HOS, do you think it would be a good idea?" Scott persisted- he actually wasn't as keen on the idea as Joseph, he didn't think it was safe and, due to the circumstances that had occurred recently (the wedding, the coronation), there would be a great deal of attention focused on them, it would be almost _impossible_ to even attempt to give them privacy while travelling across Europe.

"I…"

"Joseph. Tell me the truth."

"Honestly, as her HOS, it wouldn't be such a great idea doing this- it would be more practical to spend a couple of weeks to a month at the beach house- the attention generated from the wedding (and our wedding, to be precise) and the coronation won't die down soon…and it's not only the new queen that is attracting the attention, but also Clarisse and I."

"So, you don't think it's possible to do?"

"It will be complicated," Joseph began slowly- he had already begun planning the trip in his mind (as Scott would say, he, as her husband, couldn't deny her anything) but he needed Scott and some of the men's support to do this. "We're going to need a team of men that will have to follow our every move, we'll definitely have to have a planned itinerary…"

"Hardly ideal for a honeymoon," Scott said ironically. "How will… Her Majesty handle that?"

He didn't feel comfortable calling the Dowager Queen, Clarisse, even now that she was retired and there was another Queen on the throne- she still intimidated him a great deal, although he knew that she was truly a kind and sweet woman, but it was the title and the institution that intimidated him- but Joseph didn't correct him.

"She will understand… you know, Scott, she has never really travelled 'undercover' before- she has always been on centre stage, being the Queen and the centre of attention… she simply wants something that she can call her own, Clarisse's not the Queen's, and if it's an undercover honeymoon that she wants, I want to give it to her."

Scott stared at him for a long moment, absorbing his words and considering what he was saying- it was because he loved her that much that he was willing to forgo security measures that he himself had put into place for her safety, to allow her to spend some time as a normal person- and Scott himself had to admit that it was admirable and romantic.

"Alright," he said finally. "If this is something that you want to do…."

"I do."

"Then we'll support you and help you in whatever ways we can… and I'm sure that you have already got a laundry list of ways we can help…"

"Well, since you put it that way… I do…"

0

Clarisse meanwhile was back in their suite, trying to read a book but her thoughts kept shifting back towards Joseph and what he had planned to do that morning. She had been worried that Scott wouldn't approve of the plan, as she had admitted to Joseph over breakfast- "after all, he was trained under you and you didn't particularly like plans that changed the status quo… particularly ones that affect me…maybe this isn't such a good idea…"- but he only laughed, looking not particularly worried.

"Scott is a natural worrier, wanting everything to be right and according to protocol- which is a good thing, it was something I always encouraged with my men, to be prepared in regards to anything that may happen; and he may have doubts, but I will be able to talk him around."

"Talk him around?"

"I may no longer be his boss, officially, but he will always have a healthy respect…."

"Fear, don't you mean?" she teased- he may have been a gentle man with her, but he had always been justifiably tough on his men, wanting and expecting the best from them.

"Respect, fear, whatever… but I'm sure that he will help, no matter what."

She was thinking back on that conversation when suddenly there was a knock on the door and, when bidden to enter, Mia bounced into the room.

"Good morning, Grandma! I didn't expect you to be alone this early in the day!"

"Good morning Mia. I didn't expect you to be up- and be so happy to be up- this bright and early," she retorted a touch crisply, but the twinkle in her eyes told Mia that she was joking.

"I had no choice, I have a meeting in parliament in about half an hour, but I had enough free time to come and say good morning to my favourite grandparents!" she said as she sat down in a chair opposite Clarisse before looking around. "But where is Joe?"

"He had to go and talk to Scott about…"

"Scott already has problems?" Mia asked with a grin.

"No, there have been no problems that I have been aware of… although it is only three days after the coronation and you haven't been anywhere outside the palace," Clarisse responded in a gently chiding voice.

"Oh, so Joe just went to say hi, then? Does he already miss being a bodyguard?"

"Mia, you are being very cheeky, this morning!" Clarisse couldn't help but laugh- she was so much like Phillipe, particularly when he was her age, she couldn't help but laugh, rather than scold her. "No, as a matter of fact, he went to speak to Scott about security arrangements for our honeymoon."

"Ooh, you're going on a longer honeymoon?" Mia leaned forward in her seat, eyes wide. "I thought it was unfair that you only had a few days at the beach house and had to return to the palace for the coronation. So, are you planning to go back to the beach house for a week or more?"

"Actually, no, Joseph and I have other plans….we're thinking about doing some travelling, leaving Genovia for a month or two….if that's alright with you," she added hastily- she and Joseph had agreed the previous evening that if Mia didn't feel comfortable handling parliament (although it was on summer break) and the rest of her responsibilities for a month, they wouldn't go- or, rather, they would stay close by, at the beach house.

"Why wouldn't it be alright with me?" Mia looked puzzled. "You are newlyweds."

"Well… it's only been a couple of days since the coronation, you are still settling into your role and responsibilities…."

"I've been preparing for this for a long time, Grandma, ever since I was fifteen. I know what I have to do… and I don't think it's fair for me to deny you and Joe something that means a great deal to you and you have been waiting so long to experience together- a life away from the palace."

"But…." Clarisse was momentarily speechless- Mia sounded so calm and mature, it was almost as if the moment the crown had been placed on her head, she had grown up (which, in a sense she had).

"No buts, Grandma. I think it's a terrific idea and I'll think you'll have a lot of fun… if Scott lets you do it."

"Oh, believe me, Scott will let us do it," came a voice from behind her and Mia turned around in her seat to see Joseph strolling back into the room, a satisfied smile on his face.

"How did it go?" Clarisse asked almost anxiously as he sat down beside her and raised her hand to his lips.

"It's fine… Scott had his doubts, but I managed to talk him around."

"Go, Joe!" Mia said with a grin. "I knew you'd be able to talk him around. So, what's happening? What are you planning on doing?"

"We're still working out the details but we'll let you know everything as soon as we know."

"So… travelling on your honeymoon, that sounds cool… what made you think of that?"

"Your grandmother wants to experience life as a normal citizen…"

"I've always been Queen, Princess or a Lady… I've always been sheltered away from the rest of the world for most of my life… for once, I just wanted to experience some normality, although my life has never been, and never will be normal."

"Wow," Mia said finally, her mouth open as she had listened to her grandmother. "I thought my life sucked… sorry, Grandma," she said hastily, seeing the older woman wince at the slang. "I thought my life was bad, just because the press chased after me through high school and I had my own set of bodyguards… Wow, I really have no reason to complain…. So this is really important to you… well, I'm glad that you're going to do this and I will help in any way I can!"

"Thank you," Clarisse and Joseph exchanged a look before smiling at Mia- finally, something good was happening for them! They couldn't wait to start their trip!


	3. Itinerary

_A/N: Another chapter, definitely on a roll with this one!_

 _Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you rock!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!_

Scott continued to voice his doubts for the next few days- he still thought, deep down, that it was too soon after the coronation and the wedding for Clarisse and Joseph not to be noticed by the general European population, trying to have a normal honeymoon- but Joseph continued to shoot down his objections and even Charlotte stepped in to try and talk to Scott.

"I think it's lovely that they're trying to get away from who they are and just be a normal couple."

"They are hardly a normal couple- she is the Dowager Queen and he was her bodyguard- and I don't think the press will leave them alone for a second."

"That's why you and the rest of the team are supposed to be formulating plans to prevent that from happening… and I know Joseph is confident that it will happen."

"But what's going to happen if something…."

"Don't even say it, Scott, you and your men are perfectly capable of handling any situation, which includes a normal, travelling honeymoon. That's what this is all about, isn't it?" Charlotte said suddenly, coming to a realisation. "You're afraid that you're not going to be able to protect them as well Joseph used to protect her, aren't you?"

"That's not it," Scott protested, but he looked away for a moment and Charlotte sensed weakness.

"It's not?"

"No," but this response sounded even weaker and Charlotte decided not to push him anymore. "Alright, maybe that's why I'm so reluctant to let them go… Joseph was the best of the best, he knew he what he was doing and Her Majesty was never in danger."

"It was partly because of Joseph, but you all contributed to her safety as well… and you have all been trained under Joseph, so you do know what you're doing," Charlotte said- she could understand why he was feeling nervous but she was confident that he would be able to do what Joseph required of him. She found it somewhat endearing that he was nervous- it proved that he still looked up to Joseph with something more than respect… maybe admiration and a touch of hero worship (although he would vehemently deny it if she ever mentioned it to him) and he didn't want to let his boss… former boss… down.

"I hope so…"

"I _know_ so and so do you, deep down."

Finally, Scott agreed to the trip and then he, his men and Joseph gathered together to start planning the trip, starting with the itinerary.

"Of course I would be happy with an itinerary," Clarisse assured him when Joseph had informed her that, in order to have the trip they wanted, they would have to have an itinerary. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Well… I thought that since you had spent so many years travelling according your royal duties, a honeymoon according to an itinerary…"

"That doesn't matter to me, all that matters to me is that we're together and able to enjoy some semblance of a life outside Genovia, even if only for a month, as private citizens…however, if it's too hard…I can understand that it's going to be difficult to try and plan without letting the press know… that there are bodyguards around in certain areas but no royals… if Scott is seriously doubtful about it, I will be more than happy to go to the beach house for a few weeks."

"Well, _I_ won't be satisfied with that," Joseph said bluntly. "This is what you requested and this will what happen… "

"But…."

"I have something to admit to you as well… while I had initial concerns about travelling 'undercover' as I like to call it…"

"An 'undercover honeymoon," Clarisse said quietly, with a smile. "I like it."

"…Anyway, I found that I too have a reason for wanting this as well…"

"Oh?"

"That I want to spend some time alone with you, as my wife, and be able to hold your hand and stand close to you without fear of people gossiping about us… I want to see wherever we go through your eyes."

"Whereas I want to see them through yours."

"So, we'll have fun looking through each other's eyes," she said laughingly and he laughed back as he pulled her close.

0

Once the itinerary was set, Scott and his men set down to work out the other details in regards to security wherever they went, including if they wanted to visit museums or the theatre.

"Although the beach seems more appealing," Scott said with a laugh and Joseph gave him a look. "Can you imagine the two of them….?"

"Don't be impertinent," Joseph said chidingly and Scott calmed down before they continued with the logistics which were just as when planning a tour, were considerably less complicated, considering that there were going to be no public appearances and no visits to local dignitaries or local leaders, much to Scott's surprise.

"What did you think, that it would be just as busy as before?" Joseph jested- he had sensed Scott's ambivalence towards his and Clarisse's idea, not due to ideas that he had learnt from the former HOS himself, but because he felt that he (and his men) couldn't cope with what was happening, and what could happen if…. Not that he would say anything, Scott was a proud young man and didn't take unnecessary criticism well, not that he would criticise Scott in any way, and he was doing well.

"No… I just thought…." Scott refrained from mentioning his doubts about the trip- _how on earth could they protect the former Queen and her husband while they're on their honeymoon, if they insist on going out in public-_ but he knew that Joseph knew what he was thinking (not that Charlotte would ever betray what he had told her) and he wanted to prove that he was the best choice for the job… although, he had often thought with a wry grin since Joseph had mentioned his and his wife's plans to him, he had to wonder….

"Well, it should be a lot easier knowing what you have to do now," Joseph said easily, wanting to set the younger man's mind at easy, not only because he trusted him and knew that he could do the job, but he also wanted the safety of his wife and her granddaughter to be simultaneously in his mind and for Scott to show that he could cope with whatever was going on.

"Yes, thank goodness," the younger man uttered before he realised that Joseph was still watching him closely. "Not that I meant…"

"Scott," Joseph said simply, stopping his chatter. "I chose you to succeed me in this role, I knew that YOU could do it better than anyone else, and I know that you will…you cannot afford to have doubts, this early in the game… no, _you cannot afford to have doubts, not with the Queen and the Dowager in your hands…_ but I will help in any way I can… and you don't have to worry, I will be protecting my wife, as a husband and as her former HOS….but," he added kindly, standing up from his chair, the meeting over. "I have to advise you that you need to believe in yourself if you are going to succeed… if the Princess can do it, so can you," Joseph added with a twinkle in his eye before leaving the room, giving Scott much to think about but convinced that he had Joseph's confidence in what he was now.

0

"Your Majesty? Are you here?" Joseph called jokingly as he stepped into their suite ( _their suite- he could hardly believe it)_ and looked around for his wife, she seemed not to be in the living room.

"Who are you calling?" came from in the bedroom and he grinned, knowing that his was his wife and that, even weeks into her retirement, she disliked being addressed as 'Her Majesty'.

"Is that my husband, or my Head of Security? Who are you calling, sir? Your wife?"

"Indeed, my darling, I'm calling my wife… my queen… my Clarisse…" and his grin broadened when he saw his beloved step out of the bedroom and give him an equally as broad smile.

"Here I am."

"And here I am," he responded before he lightly stepped across the room- thank goodness her maids had disappeared upon his arrival, he didn't particularly like showing his feeling to others (even his former colleagues), not that they already hadn't guessed how he had felt for the woman standing in front of him. "My darling," he smiled lovingly at her before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to give her a kiss.

"My love…" she responded in kind- Clarisse too had had trouble showing feelings towards Joseph when others were present, but she adored her husband, hardly daring that he was officially her husband and that they were together for the rest of their lives, and when they were alone… she loved snuggling into his arms.

"So… what happened with Scott?" she asked curiously when they were finally ensconced on the sofa, sharing their daily evening drink of the day. "Where are we going?"

"Do you really want to know…I'm more inclined to want to surprise you…."

"I would love to be surprised… but I would also love to know what I need to pack."

"I could always tell your maids what to pack and keep you out of the loop…" he teased, running a hand up and down her thigh.

"Well…. I could always insist on you in the spare bedroom until we leave," she said with a smile but they both knew they were bluffing- Joseph couldn't any more lie to Clarisse than she could keep him out of their bedroom.

"Okay, I yield," he pretended to sound regretful but they both knew he would have told her anyway. "Alright… we're going to London… the South of France… maybe to Italy, Venice or Rome and I thought… we could have some time in the snow… maybe in the Alps…."

"Oh darling!" her face lit up in delight, happy and thrilled. "Are you joking?"

"I never joke about my honeymoon… are you happy?"

"So much so, I never imagined that you would do this for me….that you all- including your men- would do this for me!"

"Why wouldn't we do it for you? You were our Queen (although a lot of them still see you as their Queen)…."

"Although I hope that they all soon turn their loyalty to Mia as well…she is their Queen now and is a good girl… an amazing young woman."

"They will, sweetheart, they will, I promise you that… but they will still be loyal to you as well."

"But it's definitely been settled upon?" Clarisse gazed at him anxiously, knowing that his new HOS had had doubts and reservations about their trip.

"Absolutely," he met her eyes completely, never shying away from hers. "He did have doubts but have seen through them and he knows that we will be perfectly safe, I will never leave your side, and that it's definitely less complicated than we were preparing for a tour…"

"I never thought of it that way, but yes… I'm sure that it will be a lot easier than when we had public appearances and meeting dignitaries…."

"Scott didn't realise that either," Joseph said in an amused tone. "Poor guy, I guess I should have tipped him off beforehand."

"But were his doubts practical, or… otherwise?"

"Purely practical, my love, I promise you that."

"He is still… happy for us to go?"

"He is, but I would be more concerned about your son and granddaughter's approval… do THEY want us to go?"

"You saw Mia, she can't wait for us to have our trip, and Pierre…

"What did he say?"

" _Go, Maman. You and Joseph have given so much to this country, this family and everyone besides yourselves, you deserve a honeymoon away… and while the beach house would be infinitely more preferable to me, I can also understand your need to explore the world as a private citizen… I would do that, in your case…"_

"I knew I could count on Pierre to back us up…"

"Of course he would, he loves both of us…you are his surrogate father, you know. He trusted you more than anyone else besides Phillipe and me."

"I knew that… well, I suspected it but I didn't want to believe… until now."

"I'm glad that you believe it now as well," she leaned over and kissed his cheek gently yet lovingly. "But, now that we have got the itinerary out of the way, there is a much more important question that I need to ask…."

"Oh, what is that?" Joseph braced for a question about security and what they would/wouldn't be able to do while they were away, and he was prepared… but instead…

"How long have I got to pack?"


	4. Leaving

_A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!_

All too soon, the day of their departure arrived- although it seemed to have taken so long to come, it had really only been a week between Clarisse making the suggestion and plans having been made, to the day of their departure.

"Are you ready to have the honeymoon you want?" Joseph teased very early in the morning while they were still in bed, the light from the rising sun streaming through the curtains, although they would get up soon enough to have breakfast and leave while the press were still asleep and had no awareness of what the former Queen and her husband had planned.

"I am indeed…I'm very much looking forward to this trip- how about you?"

"What do you think?" Joseph responded, reaching over and caressing his wife's cheek lightly.

"I think… you are too."

"That I am… and you're not feeling guilty about leaving Mia alone for the month?"

"I will feel a little guilty, I will admit that I am feeling a little guilty about leaving her so long, she had also convinced me that we deserve to go, have a trip…."

" _..I don't think it's fair for me to deny you and Joe something that means a great deal to you and you have been waiting so long to experience together- a life away from the palace."_

"I know, I was there, remember? But I assume that you have been trying to assuage your guilt since then?"

"Yes, I have been and Mia has been telling me that I'm being ridiculous."

"That's a bit cheeky."

"Yes, but it was also the truth… so now that I have Mia's blessing and Pierre's blessing, I'm not going to worry any more. Besides, we will be keeping in touch with them via phone _,_ won't we?"

"Of course- as if you would let me not take my phone so you can call your granddaughter and son."

"But you're also going to need it for your own purposes as well."

"Yes, but hopefully not too much."

"Are you sure…." _  
_

"Let's not start this again!" he joked, leaning over and kissing her lightly on the forehead. "I promise you, it's alright… and if it wasn't… Scott wouldn't have a job."

"You wouldn't do that!" Clarisse looked horrified but then laughed when she saw the twinkle in her husband's eyes. "No, you wouldn't!"

"How do you know that?" he teased.

"Because you are a gentleman… and you like Scott… you wouldn't want to have to retrain someone else… like Lionel, for instance?" she chuckled lightly as he winced- Lionel was almost a painful subject for him, having caused a great deal of mischief during his time as his 'trainee', particularly when wanting to get very, very close to the Queen (and he also knew that the young man had a crush on the Queen), and he had been relieved, upon marrying Clarisse, that Lionel would no longer be his responsibility… not that he was there any longer, having returned to school in September.

"Please… I don't think I even want to imagine the trouble he would cause!"

"Have you heard whether he's coming back next summer?"

"Yes, worse luck, he actually enjoyed himself when he was here… I now know why," he gave his wife a sidelong glance. "But…" Joe continued, cheering up when he suddenly realised something. "He won't be coming anywhere near you… he'll be assigned to the Queen's entourage."

"You hope," Clarisse teased, running a hand down his bare chest before he grabbed it and pressed a kiss on her palm.

"I know…" and there was a long, companionable silence between the two of them before Joseph glanced at the bedside clock and sighed. "I hate to say this, my darling, but we will have to get up soon if we're going to leave for the airport before anyone spots us."

"I suppose if we have to, we must," she added with a heavy sigh, sounding reluctant but when they exchanged a look, they both burst into grins, their eyes shining with excitement- it was finally happening!

0

Half an hour later, their suite was a hive of activity, with Clarisse's maids tidying up the bedroom and the living room in preparation for their leaving (the suite would be closed down, although cleaned as always, ready for their return), while several bodyguards were carrying the luggage down to the waiting car.

"How much did you pack again, my dear?" Joseph said over the top of the paper, watching his men carry another two or three of her black suitcases down- he himself had only packed two, as well as a carry-on bag for his toiletries, but he hadn't actually asked Clarisse how many she had packed.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious."

"Four, if you must know…but one suitcase is more of a carry-on, with my makeup and some of my jewellery…" she said with a determined set of her jaw and Joseph laughed. "I really was restrained in my packing… or rather, when my maids were packing… although they more helped more than anything."

"If you say so, my love."

"Is it too much? I thought I would have packed another suitcase…"

"Four is definitely enough," Joe stepped in hastily. "If you have forgotten anything, I'm sure that you will be able to do some shopping wherever we go…"

"Oh, that's right," Clarisse smiled happily and Joseph couldn't help but hide a smile behind his paper- she was a former Queen, always so professional, calm, cool and in control, but she was also a woman who enjoyed pleasures such as shopping…not that she had truly had the chance to do any of it before hand, with dressmakers coming to her or her measurements being sent to the fashion houses of Europe.

He wondered how she would go shopping… she had often despaired of her granddaughter's shopping habits- _'how many pairs of shoes does one young woman need?'_ \- but he was also certain that once she stepped into a store (if they would do that, he wasn't quite sure whether it would be safe), she would definitely enjoy shopping.

"What are you grinning about behind your paper?" Joseph suddenly heard her ask and he put his paper down with an innocent look.

"I don't know what you are talking about, sweetheart."

"Nonsense… I think you were hoping that we don't have to go shopping… and that you're rather worried that I might get out of control as soon as I get into a store."

"I was thinking nothing of the sort," he retorted but Clarisse only looked at him with sparkling eyes.

"I've never been shopping, you know. I've always had my outfits made and if there was anything I needed, I had other people to buy them for me."

"I know that."

"I'm actually looking forward to doing some shopping…" she admitted with a shy smile. "Although, I promise you that I will not get out of control."

"I trust you," he said with a smile, although he was not quite convinced that they wouldn't have a shopping spree while away…thankfully, he had never offered that idea to Scott, as he knew that Scott would have panicked then and there….

Just then, there was a knock on the door before in bounced Mia.

"Good morning, Grandma and Grandpa!"

"Grandpa?" Joseph still wrinkled his nose at the title, he wasn't used to it, although it was a title he cherished.

"Yes, Grandpa- you're going to have to get used to it," Mia said with a beam as she sat down on the sofa near the table where they were having their breakfast.

"This is an early morning for you," he teased and she giggled.

"I know, but I thought I would be up early so that I can say Bon Voyage to you two!"

"Thank you, dear, that's very thoughtful… are you sure…." Clarisse began, suddenly feeling a little guilty again before Mia sighed heavily and rolled her eyes.

"Grandma. For the millionth time, I am SURE that you should go on your honeymoon! It's only for a month and I'm sure I'm not going to get into too much trouble in a month… joke, Grandma, joke," she added hastily as Clarisse's expression turned horrified. "I will be fine, I promise you, I have Charlotte, Sebastian, Nicholas, Uncle Pierre… there is so much I want to learn about before you come back, I promise that I won't leave the palace unnecessarily."

"Well, that's a good thing," Joseph piped up.

"I could… give Scott a heart attack or two," she said with a giggle. "But I won't… not yet, anyway."

"You are incorrigible… exactly like your father," her grandmother chided gently as she finished her tea.

"I know, I know… Uncle Pierre has been telling me that too…but it's a good thing, most of the time, isn't it?" Mia suddenly looked anxious and Clarisse smiled as she stood up.

"Of course it is, dear, as long as you're not in danger or putting any one else in danger…."

"Okay, good…Well," Mia glanced at her watch. "I have to go, I want to go to the gym and have a swim before I have to go to parliament, but I thought I would come and say goodbye- and pass on Pierre's best as well…."

"Isn't he here?" Clarisse felt momentarily disappointed- she had hoped to see him before the left, although they had had dinner together the night before.

"No, he had a church service to attend… but he wanted me to make sure to tell you to have fun, take care of yourselves and enjoy yourselves… and I'm want to say the same thing," before she flung her arms around her grandmother in a warm hug, Clarisse momentarily startled (she still wasn't used to her granddaughter's displays of affection, although she greatly appreciated it, even loved it) before she wrapped her arms around Mia.

"We're planning on it… and take care of yourself as well… and if you need anything, I'm sure Scott or Charlotte will be able to contact us."

"I'm sure I'm not going to need you," Mia said flippantly before turning to Joe and doing the same thing to him, Clarisse watching with a tender smile- he was, if anything, more surprised at Mia's affection but he too loved the way she was and didn't want her to change. "Take care of yourself and Grandma, Joe, and have fun."

"I will, Princess… and we will." Mia pulled away finally with a small smile.

"Grandpa… I'm Mia, not Princess, to you."

"I know that, but Princess is still my nickname for you… you don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not… as long as you don't call me Your Majesty."

"I promise."

"Well, have fun and we'll see you when we get back!" Mia jogged towards the door, turned to wave at them again and then bounded out of the room, like the energetic hurricane that she was.

"I wonder whether she'll ever seriously walk into a room…aside from formal occasions." Clarisse said thoughtfully as she gazed at the closed suite doors and Joseph chuckled.

"I don't think so… but I don't think you would want her to be any different, would you?"

"No. No I wouldn't."

"Well, then, don't worry what should and couldn't have been…besides," he glanced at his watch again. "We REALLY need to get going if we want to make it to the airport."

It was only minutes later when they were descending the stairs, arm in arm, to discover Charlotte, Scott and some of the palace staff waiting in the foyer for them.

"What is this?" Joseph asked in surprise.

"We all just wanted to say, on behalf of the palace staff, that we hope you have a lovely honeymoon," Charlotte said warmly, looking from one to the other and Clarisse chuckled as she moved towards her and took her hands in hers.

"Thank you, Charlotte, that is truly kind and thoughtful. We appreciate it… and we'll be back before you know it… look after Mia," she added in a low voice and Charlotte nodded.

"That's a promise, Your… Clarisse."

"Have fun, boss," Scott said to Joseph while the two women chatted, moving slowly towards the main doors. "Don't get up to too much mischief."

"Same to you here, Shades," Joseph grinned at him before turning to realise that Clarisse was waiting for him at the doorway.

"Here we go," he added when he re-joined her, taking her arm in his again and she chuckled.

"Here we go…" she repeated before they stepped over the threshold of the palace doors… they were now, officially, on their honeymoon!


	5. Taking Flight

_A/N: They're finally on their way!_

 _Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock! Slowing down on chapters now, since I'm working during the week, but I'm trying to be consistent and get at least one up every week!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me_

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Clarisse could help but giggle excitedly, almost like a schoolgirl, as the car made its way through the streets of Pyrus, heading directly to the airport. "I've never felt so excited about doing something like this in my life!"

"I'm excited too," Joseph said with an indulgent smile, although he was enjoying how excited, relaxed and almost childlike Clarisse seemed to be, quite unlike her usual, dignified self. It was almost as if their wedding, and their subsequent retirements, had allowed her true personality to emerge, to allow her to forget who she was supposed to be and allow her to be who she really was. He had always known that there was another side to his wife- and he had been fortunate, over the years, as they had fallen in love, of being able to witness that other side- but he hoped that, eventually, she would allow others to see that side of her too, particularly her granddaughter.

"Penny for your thoughts?" her voice suddenly broke into his thoughts and he smiled at her.

"I was just thinking how much I like seeing you like this."

"Like what?" she looked momentarily unnerved, a little hesitant, before Joseph reached over and touched her cheek gently.

"Like you're young, free, happy…girlish….excited."

"I'm hardly young or girlish, Joseph," she blushed slightly, although she was pleased at his compliment- for years, she had had to maintain a certain image, an image of a cool, in control, ladylike, distant Queen who had everything in control and couldn't panic or lose it, but suddenly, upon her marriage to Joseph and her retirement, it was almost as if she was free to be the person she had been hiding for so long, the woman who had had to pretend to be someone else for the sake of the country.

Rupert had always insisted on her being a model of propriety, an institution rather than a person and she had done that, for his sake and for her sanity (she hadn't wanted to show the rest of the world who she truly was) but now… Joseph, who had always seen the other side of her, the first person (aside from her sons) that she had shown the other side to, had somehow made her feel free to enjoy life and be Clarisse, the woman, rather than the Queen.

"To me, you are my girl, and that means you can act as girlish as you like… and I find that side of you extremely endearing."

"So you would rather me being girlish…than womanly?" she gave him a sultry look, a look she had perfected over their years of their relationship (although only recently feeling comfortable enough to use) and he chuckled as he pulled her as close to him as he could without either of them undoing their seatbelts.

"I love both sides of you… you have no idea how sexy you are when you want to be, as well as how innocent you are…" before he kissed her tenderly on the mouth, this kiss prevented from deepening by the seatbelts strapped across them.

"You're pretty sexy too," she admitted with a shy blush, dropping her eye coyly for a moment before looking back at him, Joseph's eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Really? You think that of me?"

"Of course… you have always been a very, very attractive man…and I was very attracted to you, even from the beginning…" she almost whispered the words, a little uncomfortable about admitting feelings she had had about him, but knowing that he deserved to know and that she _wanted_ him to know.

"That's good, because I was always attracted to you…always, always, always…" before he kissed her again. "And now…this honeymoon is happening, and we're together…

"I'm just happy that we're going to be able to do this together, as a couple."

"Me too… I never imagined it happening," Joseph admitted with a shy smile. "You and I, married and on our honeymoon… it still feels unreal to me."

"Does it? It does to me as well…" Clarisse said empathetically before giving him a coy smile. "But… does this feel unreal?" she leaned over and gently kissed him on the cheek and he smiled.

"No, not that doesn't feel unreal."

"Then this is definitely real and definitely happening."

0

They arrived at the airport soon after, and Genovia 2 was waiting on the tarmac for them, as the car drove through the open gate and out onto the tarmac.

"Why are we using Genovia 2?" Clarisse was puzzled- Genovia 2 was usually used by members of parliament or the prime minister if they were travelling on Genovian business.

"Because, my darling, if we use Genovia 1, people are going to suspect that a member of the royal family is travelling and since Mia is here… "

"Oh, I see," Clarisse responded, awareness dawning on her- they would soon realise that the former Queen and her husband were away from the country and, she suspected, the press would try and locate them, something neither of them wanted. "But…."

"Sebastian is more than fine with us using this plane… after all, you are the former Queen of Genovia and are entitled to a few perks."

"That's very generous of them…"

"Clarisse, will you please stop worrying?" Joseph said quickly, taking both her hands in his and squeezing them tightly. "Everything is alright, I promise you that…and besides, you cannot be worrying when we're on our honeymoon and everything has been sorted out."

"Alright, alright, I'll try not to worry," she said with a chuckle as the car came to a stop less than a hundred metres away from the plane, and they could see the other security was already there, preparing to board the plane.

"Let's go!" Joseph said cheerfully, unbuckling his seatbelt and sliding out one side, before hurrying around to help Clarisse out and they walked, arm in arm, towards the stairs leading up into the plane.

Clarisse started up the steps first, Joseph close behind, his hand on her small on her back (something she had always found comforting), and were greeted by two of the plane's air attendants before they stepped into the cool plane compartment.

"Window or aisle?" she turned to him with a teasing smile and he returned it happily.

"I don't mind, just as long as I'm sitting next to you…."

 _Sitting down next to you…._ the words suddenly hit both of them as Clarisse settled herself next to the window and Joseph sat down next to her, as the rest of the security team headed towards the back of the plane, a place where Joseph usually occupied when he was travelling with the Queen, but now… now they were able to sit next to each other, enjoy the flight together… just be together….

As if sensing his thoughts and the emotions welling up in him, Clarisse reached over and took one of his hands in hers and squeezed it tightly.

"No one has ever sat next to me like this before… well, Charlotte did when necessary, but Rupert preferred his own company, not that we travelled together much, and he stayed down at the back of the plane…" she commented in light voice.

"It must have been lonely for you," Joseph finally managed, his voice still tight with emotion- he was slightly embarrassed that he had gotten emotional over something as simple as sitting next to his wife when they were flying to England, but it was important to him, it was another sign that they _really were married_ and that it was part of the norm to be able to sit next to Clarisse… he was _proud_ that he was able to sit there….

"It was, although, as you know, I was usually absorbed in paperwork," she looked at him with a quirky smile. "I'm more than a little relieved that I'm not going to be absorbed in paperwork this flight."

"As am I…" he said almost distractedly, still feeling embarrassed about the gush of emotion he had felt, just by sitting next to her… it was ridiculous….

"Joseph. My love," she said in a low voice, forcing him to look at her. "There is no need to be embarrassed at how you're feeling right now…I'm just as ecstatic about being able to sit next to you, you have no idea how many times I have wanted to invite you to sit up here with me and we could just talk….this is wonderful for me as well…."

"Really?"

"Really," she affirmed with a tender smile- he tried to be always strong, always in control, but there was a softer, tender side to him that she loved very, very much; she had always thought that she had fallen in love with the tough side of him (particularly as he always had been tough on her at times), which she had, but she had fallen even more deeply for the tender side of him that he rarely revealed to anyone, except her and, more recently, Pierre and Mia.

"So… does that mean that I can order anything from the air attendants?" he joked, trying to ease the intensity of the moment.

"Within reason," Clarisse replied with a chuckle as she sat back in her seat, his hand in hers.

"So… London here we come?" he queried as he felt the plane begin to move before slowly easing off the ground, heading up into the sky- he had been travelling for years, but the sensation he felt when a plane took off had never left him… he had always been somewhat unnerved by the feeling…

He glanced at Clarisse- her expression was calm and undisturbed- of course, she wouldn't be disturbed, she had spent half her life travelling on planes, before he suddenly felt her squeeze his hand a little tighter and he watched her until she finally met his eyes.

"Sometimes, I get a little nervous at taking off time," she admitted when the plane had settled.

"I didn't know that," he said, surprised.

"It's true… especially once the boys were older and they went travelling with us…Pierre was never allowed to travel with his father, so I went with him and Phillipe with Rupert…."

"I see… I remember some of those times….anyway, I have to admit… I get a little nervous too."

"You? My strong, tough former Head of Security?" she teased gently, with a sweet smile before she turned serious. "Really?"

"Really, and my reasoning was, besides the sensation of a plane taking off…."

"Yes, that's partly why I get a little nervous…" she agreed quickly.

"But the other part…was that you were on the plane with me, and if something happened… I wouldn't be able to save you."

"That's very, very sweet of you…" she caressed his cheek lovingly.

"It's the truth….however, I'm raining on our honeymoon parade again….London, here we come!" he repeated what she had said earlier and she smiled back at him before they sat back in their seats, hands still clasped, both looking forward to the trip ahead


	6. Traffic

_A/N: Merry Christmas to all my readers and reviewers! Thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing. I'm hoping to get some more stories up next year but we'll see…._

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!_

It didn't seem to take long until Joseph and Clarisse could feel the plane beginning to prepare to start their descent, followed by one of the airline attendants reminding them to buckle their seat belts.

"I don't think you need to worry about that- we didn't take them off at all!" Joseph laughed when they were reminded and the attendant couldn't help but blush a little.

"I'm sorry, sir, it's just part of the regulations… we're supposed to remind all passengers that…."

"Don't worry, dear, you were doing your job- Joseph's just teasing," Clarisse stepped in reassuringly before the younger woman, with a short curtsey in Clarisse's direction, moved back towards the back of the plane. "Joseph…."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it… but it was rather obvious that we hadn't taken our belts off at all."

"True... but that girl was just doing her job."

"I know, I know, I shouldn't have teased her," he looked momentarily ashamed of himself. "I appreciate all that the staff do for you and that they all work very hard… I guess I was just being a little playful- I'm not used to being catered to, rather than the other way around."

"Well, you had better get used to it, it's part of your future," she reached over and patted his hand reassuringly- she knew that he had meant well with the airline attendant, he had been trying to make her feel a little more relaxed in the presence of the former Queen (which was something that was probably going to take a little while to achieve, and not only with the plane staff, but with the rest of the staff) but she was a little ashamed to admit that she had been a little jealous, thinking that Joseph had been flirting with the attendant, not that he had been….

"Well, that's something that I could get used to," he joked, patting her hand back reassuringly before sitting back in his seat and taking a deep breath in as he realised that the plane was making it's descent into the airport.

"Do we have to meet Customs when we arrive?" Clarisse inquired when the plane had landed and the rest of their security team had left the plane, waiting for them to leave. She had never been through Customs before, having always had diplomatic immunity (and the fact that everyone knew when she was arriving) but she was interested to see what they would do if she had to go through Customs.

"No my dear, I've managed to waive that again," Joseph said as he stood up, stretched and then held out a hand to help her up.

"Oh." Clarisse couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"Believe me, Clarisse, it's much easier this way," he said by way of explanation as they made their way to the front of the plane. "If you were to go through customs, your identity would quickly become known to the people in charge… and then…."

"I know, it would become quite complicated and the press would inevitably get wind of what was going on…" she said almost gloomily- was this really going to happen without the complications? Could they really have a honeymoon under the radar?

"Exactly, and it's something neither of us wants… but, my dear, you wouldn't want to go through Customs… they would want to go through your luggage (usually seen through computer screens) and sometimes… people are patted down just in case they have weapons…does that sound appealing to you?" he could help but finish teasingly and she turned in the doorway with a look of horror on her face.

"No, that doesn't sound appealing to me, at all… thank you, dear, for thinking ahead and knowing that there are some things that I wouldn't want to experience… although I should have thought of it myself," she looked slightly sad but Joseph squeezed her hand tightly.

"You don't need to think of everything, my dear…actually, it was Scott that pointed it out to me so neither of us actually thought of it…." and they exchanged a smile.

"Now, let's leave this plane, I hadn't planned on spending our honeymoon in a plane…"

"Well, technically we will be spending some of our time in it, when we're travelling," she gave him a coy look and he laughed.

"True enough, but I don't want to be spending today in it, thank you very much… so let's go!" before he gave her a gentle push, causing her to chuckle as she stepped out into the fresh air.

"Now who's anxious to start their honeymoon?" she teased before she realised that a car was waiting at the bottom of the steps for them, and she turned back to him with another look.

"Just another surprise… I figured you didn't want to walk too far…" he gave her a wheedling smile and she only rolled her eyes before continuing back down the stairs.

000

The main difference about travelling from the airport to their hotel (aside from the fact that they were staying at a hotel rather than at the Genovia Embassy) was that there was no police escort, that other cars weren't forced over onto the side of the road while she was driven past- now, they were as part of the traffic jam as the rest of the world and Clarisse couldn't help but find it fascinating as she stared out the window at the traffic around her- they didn't seem to be moving as far as they would if they had a police escort, but she didn't mind.

"Wish you had your police escort now?" Joseph teased as he watched her fascinated expression- he himself would have preferred a police escort to the hotel but, as Scott had pointed out, that would have attracted unnecessary attention towards them, and that was something neither of them wanted.

"No, not really," Clarisse turned away from the window with a smile. "I'm used to having an escort, causing traffic chaos just so that I can have the road to myself…"

"That was a question of safety…."

"I know that, and I appreciated it… but I often wondered whether other people truly appreciated me causing delays in their own days."

"If they didn't, that's their problem- they were probably late anyway."

"Such understanding," she reached over and touched his cheek.

"My job was get you from A to B with no danger and no accidents, and if diverting traffic was a way to prevent that, then I was going to do it."

"Spoken like a true Head of Security and… my own personal bodyguard," Clarisse responded with a fond smile.

"But of course…"

"Did you ever have the chance to avoid traffic?" she asked after another moment's observation and he chuckled.

"I never had the problem in Genovia… although there were traffic jams, but I didn't try and use my status to try and avoid traffic….that, I promise you…."

"Not even to get out of speeding tickets?" she teased.

"No, not even then… not that I got speeding tickets… well, not that many," he allowed, recalling the several tickets he had got in the early years while working in Genovia, he hadn't had one in years… well, maybe in two or three years.

His wife was smiling broadly at him, knowing what he was thinking- he had long since admitted he had had some speeding tickets (thankfully nothing more serious than that) and he had immediately admitted his last ticket to her, almost as soon as he had returned to the palace.

"Well, I haven't had many speeding tickets either…."

"Of course you wouldn't, you haven't had to drive in years… although you could have been charge in San Francisco when you and Mia went joy riding…" he said with a stern note in his voice- that day was still a slightly sensitive subject for him, considering that the then Queen had gone out for the day with a barely registered fifteen year old girl in a car that was barely roadworthy….

"I would hardly have called in joy riding," Clarisse retorted almost tartly- she too could recall his fury when she had returned- in a police car- but the anger in his voice hadn't completely covered the fear, making her realise that he had been afraid for her. "Mia wanted to take me for a ride in her pride and joy and I wanted to go."

"Her 'pride and joy' was hardly roadworthy at the time," Joseph muttered and Clarisse gave a heavy sigh- this was something that they had never agreed on and probably never would.

"We're not going to argue about this now, are we?"

"No, my love, we're not," he instantly felt guilty as he took her hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. "I have been thinking about it for a long time since then and I have come to the conclusion that…it was a good day for both of you, I agree with that, and it was obviously something you needed to do to make Mia feel comfortable with you, especially after the state dinner the evening before, and while it was…."

" _Irresponsible and careless of me to leave without even telling you our plans_ ," Clarisse echoed with a sigh- she had heard these words before, many, many times.

"…Yes, that's true… but it also broke one of the walls down between the two of you… it was a bonding session that you two will never forget…. You, getting to know your granddaughter a little better and some of the places she would visit; and Mia- knowing that you aren't quite as uptight…not to be an insult in anyway…and willing to learn more about you, even going out of your safety net."

"You certainly put some thought into that," Clarisse said finally, after a long moment of considering his words and pushing down the emotion she was feeling.

"I have, I have had time to consider this and while I, as your HOS, didn't approve of what you did and had to chastise you for what you did… yes, treating you as a child but I was worried for you… I was scared for you….and I will admit that I overreacted."

"What?" Clarisse looked surprised before a grin blossomed on her face. "You _admit_ that you 'overreacted'? Is this Joseph, my former Head of Security, admitting that he made a mistake?"

"Yes, and you know how hard it is for me to admit that," he grumbled with a small smile.

"I know, I know…"

"You're just as bad, you know. You're quite stubborn when you want to be," he countered and she met his eyes, the same smile on her face.

"Hello pot," she teased and he burst out laughing before he leaned forward, cupping her cheek in his hand and kissing her lightly on the lips.

"And incorrigible," he added, kissing her lightly again.

"I could say the same for you… but, thank you," it was her turn to reach out and caress his cheek.

"What for?"

"I'm glad that you…accepted that Mia and I needed that time away from the embassy…."

"Even if it meant that you could have gone to jail," Joseph said with a chuckle- that was the funniest part of the day, the part that he enjoyed remembering over and over again.

"You will never let me forget that, will you?"

"Never," he laughed before he kissed her again before she looked back out at the traffic again- they were still moving, but not very far as they were caught in peak hour traffic.

"Is it always this slow?" she asked after a moment and he chortled.

"Welcome to the real world, my darling…are you sure you wouldn't want your police escort now?"

"Hmmm," she paused for a moment, considering his words. "No, I think I might like this… for now…"

"For now, hmmm? Does that mean I may have to change plans with some of the guys?"

"No… I was just joking… how long until we get until the hotel?"

"Not long now…."


	7. The Hotel

_Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock! Happy New Year_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me_

It was actually ten minutes later when the car slowly drew alongside the curb and came to a stop, startling both Joseph and Clarisse, both of whom had been staring out their respective windows in companionable silence, their hands clasped on the seat between them.

"What… what's going on?" Clarisse asked, startled.

"Uh…I don't know… actually," Joseph said, glancing out the window again, the scene registering properly with him. "I do believe that we're here at our hotel."

"We're finally here?" Clarisse looked at him with understanding dawning in her eyes, quickly followed by delight and excitement.

"Yes, indeed we are… and it's one of the best hotels in London… are you ready to get out?"

"I…" she glanced out her window- the traffic was still racing by and she wasn't quite sure she could get out that side without getting hit by a car, before Joseph tugged her hand.

"I know you don't approve of sliding across a seat… but surely you could do it one time?" he gave her a significant look and she smiled, before pretending to turn serious.

"I suppose, my dear husband, I could deign to do that… although you must promise not to tell anyone that you saw the former Queen 'slide' across the back seat of the car…."

"I promise," he vowed gravely, his eyes twinkling just as much as hers before he stepped out of the car, Clarisse sliding across the seat and then stepping out, Joseph's hand still holding hers tightly, shivering slightly as she realised that it was cloudy and there was misty rain on the air.

For a moment, she was reminded of the many, many moments when he had helped her out of the car- even when Rupert was still alive, he very rarely helped her out of the car, opting to have one of their security men do that while he walked ahead with the leader, ambassador or whoever important they were meeting- but Joseph had never done that, he had always been at the door almost as soon as the car stopped, his hand out stretched to help her out and then, as she walked along, he was almost on her heels, his hand resting gently on her back. When he was around, she felt safe, secure and protected.

"You look thoughtful," he murmured into her ear as, hand in hand, they walked up the front stairs to the fancy entrance way of the hotel- she couldn't see any of their men, inside, outside or even behind them (she had to glance back to look at the traffic again- something she hadn't had a chance to do before- and she couldn't help but marvel at how many cars, motorbikes, trucks and buses were whizzing along the road) but she assumed that they were there, watching over them and making sure that nothing went wrong.

"Mmmm?" she finally remembered that Joseph was asking her a question, but before he could repeat himself, they stepped through the glass, revolving doors and into the foyer of the hotel…and Clarisse couldn't help but stare around her… it wasn't much different to the foyers of the many embassies she had stayed at over the years, but… it was different in that it was a hotel foyer, there was a check in the area the furtherest part away from the doorway, there were hotel staff milling around (including a trolley for the luggage of the guests) as well as the guests themselves and two elevators, with people waiting to get on and get off.

"Wow," she murmured almost to herself and Joseph grinned to himself- this was probably going to be the very best experience she would have. "Do we need to go and check in?"

"If you want, although…" he signalled to someone and she sighed softly when she realised that it was one of his men, and they had already checked in for them. "I thought… although if you're disappointed…" he wasn't sure the sigh he had heard was one of disappointment or relief- he wanted her to have as normal an experience as possible while on their honeymoon, but there were also instances when he had had to have plans put in place to prevent recognition or other problems, not that he didn't think (or hope) that anything would happen while they were away.

"No, no, no…I'm actually relieved… I wouldn't have minded playing pretend, pretending that we were a normal married couple checking in to their hotel on their honeymoon, but then….I'm not exactly not unrecognisable in Europe...and I'm actually looking forward to seeing our room," as they began walking towards the elevators.

"By the way, I should have thought…do you need to meet anyone… let anyone know that you're here?" he asked as they stepped onto the elevator- thankfully, they were alone, no one else joined them before the doors closed- and Clarisse shook her head.

"No… if I'm not on an official visit, or haven't contacted them prior to arriving, I don't need to worry, especially now that I'm actually not Queen anymore… why? Were you worried that you might actually meet a member of the royal family as my husband, rather than as my Head of Security?" she teased.

"Not really," he blustered, trying to hide the fact that yes, he had thought that they might have to make official visits and that he would have to try and make polite small talk with people that he didn't know very well. "I just wanted to make sure… so that I…."

"You wouldn't have embarrassed me, my love," she turned to look at him seriously. "You are just as good, even better, than some of the people I have met over the years and I would definitely be proud to introduce you to them… but….this time I'm glad I don't have to do that."

"Why?" Joe asked curiously, although a tiny bit hurt.

"Because," she reached over and touched his cheek gently with one hand. "We are on our honeymoon," she finished with a gentle smile. "I'm off duty- permanently, as it is- and this is the first time I have actually had some time to myself… I'm not going to share myself with anyone except you…."

"I'm glad of that."

"Why's that?"

"Because…" as the elevator dinged, signalling their arrival on the floor they were staying on, before the doors slid open. "Because…" he grinned at her. "I'm not very good at sharing."

000

Stepping out onto the carpeted floor, Clarisse looked around curiously, seeing all the doors, all leading into rooms where all different types of people- singles, couples, teenagers, families, young and old- so many people, she marvelled, from different parts of the world, all here at this hotel.

Clarisse had always had a keen interest in people (which made sense, considering she had been Queen for a long time) and their lives, and when she was a little girl, she had imagined the lives of the people around her, alternating between 'happily ever after' and 'tragic circumstances that they couldn't overcome'. It was only once she was married that she had stopped imagining about other people's lives- her own life was complicated enough to deal with.

"This is going to be a long, quiet honeymoon," Joseph suddenly, almost dryly, said as they reached the doorway at the end of the hallway and Clarisse turned to him, startled- she had though their honeymoon had started splendidly…

"What do you mean?"

"Wait until we get inside…." He looked at her with an expression of seduction, a look that usually made her weak at the knees, which again happened this time before he scooped her up into his arms.

"Joseph!"

"I'm just carrying you over the threshold."

"You don't have to do that!"

"I want to," he said with a confident look, leaning forward to kiss the tip of her nose before stepping over the threshold, kicking the door closed behind him, his grip on Clarisse firm and strong, before she wriggled out of his arms and he turned to lock the doors before turning back to see Clarisse looking at him alertly.

"You were saying?"

"Hmmm?" Joe was suddenly unaware of his wife's question- he was more interested in the fact that they were finally alone, away from Genovia and their respective responsibilities, free to enjoy their honeymoon as an average couple (although still on the cusp of not being average)… and that their honeymoon suite was glorious…..

"You intimated that this honeymoon would be… 'long and quiet'… what did you mean?" Clarisse said evenly- they were both excited about being away from Genovia and the 'interruptions' that were part of their day, but she still wanted to know what he meant.

"Sweetheart, I was being ridiculous, forget it."

"Joseph, if there's something I can do to make things better…."

"No, there's nothing you can do to make anything better, everything is perfect," he almost snapped before pulling her close to him and dropping soft kisses into her hair- _she was perfect, she didn't have to make anything better_ , ran through his mind before he looked at her and saw that she was still watching him.

"Joseph…"

"Alright, alright, I know it's nothing but… you seemed distracted before and very quiet… and I was just wondering what you were thinking…."

"Oh!" Clarisse suddenly looked understanding, realising his problem. "Oh, I'm so used to keeping my thoughts to myself, thinking but not telling anyone, that… it's going to take a little while to actually reveal myself and my thoughts to anyone, even you."

"I understand… I was just worried….I just wondered… but you don't have to tell me…."

"I want to… I was thinking when we got out of the car that you were always there to escort me, you never walked away like Rupert did…."

"I think I would have been fired if I had done that," he joked and she gave him a small smile.

"Yes, I suppose you would have… but you were always there to protect me, no matter what…"

"I wanted to."

"And... in regards to your other question…"

"What other question?"

"You didn't say it but you intimated it in your statement… when we stepped off the elevator, I was just looking around and wondering about all the rooms and the people that were staying in them….that there were so many different people with different lives to our own and I was trying to imagine some of them…."

"And what did you come up with?"

"I can't remember," she replied with a sheepish smile. "Although I couldn't help but wonder…."

"Wonder what?"

"I wondered how people could view us, people that don't know what happened in Genovia… that if they had been watching us, what they were thinking… that we were a couple that had been married a long time, or a couple having an affair…." Joe snorted at that one. "Well… what do you think?"

"Well, firstly I think that you have a very overactive imagination…"

"Thank you, dear."

"…especially to be wondering what about other people's lives…isn't your own life enough for you?" he teased and she blushed.

"I can't explain it, ever since I was a little girl, I have always been an observer of people around me…"

"Which is a good thing, considering that you're Queen and have a prodigious memory for details."

"I had to, I had to look like I cared."

"Which you did."

"But I always wondered about other people's lives… and how different they were to mine."

"I think that the people you were observing probably wondered about your life as well… but you could probably go crazy wanting a life other than your own."

"I know, but still…."

"Just keep focused on us and our life," he wove his arms around her waist and gazed at her intently. "I'm sure that will keep you busy enough….and no, I don't think people would have thought we were having an affair- they probably would have thought what a good looking couple we are and that we have been married for years… honestly, I don't think many people would have been watching us, and I'm sure that's what you were hoping for as well."

"Touché," she responded before he leaned over and kissed her.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Clarisse pulled away, looking alarmed- they hadn't been discovered, had they- before Joseph winked at her.

"It's only our luggage, my darling… I probably shouldn't have locked the door."

Minutes later, they were alone again, after two of their security team carried in their luggage, taking it straight through to the bedroom (she assumed it was the bedroom, considering they hadn't really explored their suite yet) and then silently retreating out the door.

"So…." Clarisse said after a moment, sitting down on the sofa and kicking off her shoes. "What now?"

"Aren't you a little curious about your surroundings?" Joseph teased as he stood above her and she chuckled as she stood up again.

"I suppose so… this room is very fancy, isn't?" she said as she looked around- the living room was obviously the largest area of their room, and the furniture, pictures on the walls and the other decorations looked quite expensive. "Joseph, is this a suite?"

"Only the best for my wife," he looked at her with twinkling eyes.

"Joseph, I would have been happy in a smaller room," Clarisse responded, feeling guilty that he spent money on a suite when a smaller room could have sufficed.

"Nonsense… and before you say anything, I had a considerable discount on the suite as well as…." He stopped short, realising that he was about to spoil the surprise, he had promised his co-conspirators that he wouldn't say anything, but Clarisse had frozen in place, looking at him curiously.

"What, Joseph? What?"

"Nothing, my dear, nothing… I want to see the rest of this suite," he said smoothly, pulling her to her feet and leading her through the living room to the doors leading into the bedroom. "Wow… this is amazing!" stopping short when he saw the massive king sized, wooden canopy bed that dominated much of the room, as well as the wooden furniture on either side of the bed.

"Much bigger than our bed at home?" Clarisse teased as she led him into the room and they sat on the edge of the bed. "Maybe much better?"

"Definitely not better," he said firmly- their bed back at the palace was where they had consummated their marriage on their wedding night and, for that reason, would always be special to him. "I still prefer our bed to this one."

"We'll see," she said with a sly smile, although she had to admit that she preferred their bed at home for the same reason that Joseph did. "Although…this bed has its advantages," she said with a seductive smile as she lay back on her elbows and crossed her legs, watching Joseph swallow hard.

"Such as…."

"It's much, much softer…." Clarisse said as she sat up and began shrugging off her jacket.

"What else?" He was watching her as she tossed her jacket over a chair and moved further up the bed.

"There's plenty of room for two or more…. I can feel that the sheets are soft…" she patted the bedspread before slowly beginning to unbutton her blouse. "And these pillows…" she continued, finally having reached the head of the bed. "Amazing…" before she sank back on them, her eyes still on his as she finished unbuttoning her blouse, Joseph still frozen at the end of the bed.. "I think I might like this bed better than the other one… maybe… although I may need to experiment….I may need to take a nap to see if I'm correct…" she stretched languidly, her blouse falling off her shoulders. "Mmmm… I might need one now," she yawned and sank slowly onto her pillows, but before she could close her eyes, Joseph had kicked off his shoes and crawled frantically up the length of the bed before pouncing on Clarisse with a passionate kiss that deepened very, very quickly…..


	8. Dinner Plans

_A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers! You all rock!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me_

They must have fallen asleep because then next thing Clarisse realised, she was opening her eyes and the pale sunlight that had been streaming in and out of the room when they had arrived, which much dimmer and the room was suddenly much darker.

She squirmed in Joseph's arms, well aware that there was only a single sheet was covering both of them, wanting to get up and get her dressing gown, before she felt Joseph's arms tighten around her waist.

"Where do you think you're going?" he growled into her ear and she chuckled.

"I was just getting up to get our dressing gowns."

"I'm perfectly happy where I am."

"As am I, but I would like to switch on some lights and get dressed… it's getting dark outside."

"So I've noticed," he sat up in bed and stretched before reaching out and tuning on the bedside table. "It's getting a little cool in here."

"Do you want me to find the air conditioning and turn it on?" Clarisse asked as she reached for the complimentary robe that was hanging over one of the chairs and pulled it on.

"No, I'm right for now… and that robe certainly suits you, although you look much better in your own robe… or mine."

"Well, maybe once I have unpacked, maybe I will wear my own robe… or yours," she gave him a coy smile and he chuckled as he kicked off the sheet and rose from the bed.

"I'd like to see that," before she handed him the complimentary robe and finished collecting their strewn clothes from around the room and gently set them down on the bed.

"So, what are we going to do now?"

"Switch on some lights, for starters," Joseph said as he went through to the living room, switching on lights as he went, Clarisse following in his wake. "And then, decide on what we're going to do for dinner."

"What _are_ we going to do for dinner?" Clarisse echoed as she settled down on one of the sofas and stretched her legs out- she was still feeling a little tired from the trip and their nap, but she was also looking forward to doing something special for their first dinner away from Genovia, their first dinner on their official honeymoon.

Just the thought of having a number of dinners and other meals away from the palace excited her, the thought that they were actually away from the palace, away from responsibilities and parliament, just having the opportunity to be themselves…

"Well, we have several options," Joseph responded as he brought the room service menu to the sofa, sitting down next to her. "We could always have room service."

"Room service?" Clarisse sounded puzzled.

"Yes, room service- you order your meal from this menu, over the phone and they bring the food up to us…are you sure you never tried it on all your visits to other embassies around the world?" he teased but she shook her head.

"No, the embassies aren't hotels, my dear," she gave him an impish look. "It was tempting, and I know that there were others (including members of our parliament) that tried to do it, but I didn't want to create any more trouble for the embassy staff, they already had enough on their plates with having a Queen staying there."

"That is their job, that's what they have to do- and I'm sure that they didn't mind."

"True, true… and I'm looking forward to ordering room service, but I was thinking… today is our first day of our honeymoon and I want to do something special for our first night away from the palace."

"Oh?" Joseph was intrigued but he too had to admit that he didn't want to have room service on their first night away from Genovia. "Did you want to go downstairs to the restaurant?"

"This hotel has its own restaurant?" Clarisse sounded surprised but feeling a little foolish that she didn't know certain things, having been protected from much of the world and isolated from the normal as a Queen, and that she sounded surprised about it.

"Yes, of course… would you like to go downstairs for dinner?" he asked again and Clarisse smiled.

"Yes, I would- it would definitely be a special place for our first night… and it means that our security team might be able to have some time to themselves and not worry about making sure that we are safe."

"They still will be around, but they won't have as much work to do if we stayed at the hotel rather than go out…but we are going to go to a restaurant away from the hotel while we're here, but tonight…downstairs seems appealing. Would you like me to make reservations? For about seven?"

"Seven would be perfect…and I had better call Mia and let her know that we arrived safely."

"Good idea," before they separated, Joseph heading towards the room phone and Clarisse to the bedroom to find Joseph's mobile.

0

"Grandma! Why are you calling me? I would have thought you and Joe… sorry, Grandpa… would be enjoying yourselves and not even thinking at all about Genovia!"

Mia sounded surprised to hear from her grandmother and Clarisse couldn't help but chuckle sheepishly.

"I thought I would just call and let you know that we arrived safely and we're now ensconced at the hotel."

"I knew that a couple of hours ago- one of your team contacted Scott and Scott told Charlotte. You seriously didn't have to call, we already knew you were alright."

"Oh," was all Clarisse said, feeling a little foolish- she should have known that one of their team would have contacted the palace as soon as they had arrived in London, but she had wanted to make sure that Mia and Pierre knew they were there.

"Grandma," Mia said suddenly, realising that she may have upset her grandmother. "I'm glad that you called, I appreciate it and so will Uncle P… but…."

"It's alright dear, I'm not upset, I'm just a little embarrassed."

"Don't be. You weren't sure that anyone would contact us but they did and that's okay. How's London?"

"Cloudy and cool, but we haven't done anything except check into the hotel and have a rest."

"Well, I'm sure the trip would have been tiring," before Mia mentally kicked herself- she had sounded condescending and made the two of them sound as if they were old. "Sorry, Grandma, I didn't mean that!"

"Well, the trip WAS tiring and we DID need the rest, but we're going downstairs to the restaurant for dinner tonight."

"That sounds great."

"Everything alright there? Any problems with parliament or the paperwork?"

"Grandma," Mia's voice sounded exasperated. "You only left this morning, it hasn't been long enough to have anything serious happen, but even if there had been something going on, I wouldn't have told you anyway… remember, you're supposed to be on _your honeymoon_!"

"Yes, dear, I know that…but if you need anything…."

"Grandma, I'm hanging up now… have a great time and we're fine here…love to you and Joe…bye!"

Clarisse had only just pressed the red button (red button) to end the call when Joseph had stepped back into the bedroom.

"Everything alright there?"

"Yes, although apparently I didn't need to call as one of your men called Scott and let them know… I was a little embarrassed," she couldn't help but chuckle uncomfortably as he sat down next to her.

"You didn't need to be, I'm sure that Mia was pleased to hear from you…and did you ask about the country and whether there were any problems?"

"Yes…I was just being curious but I'm not serious about getting back involved again… and Mia was a little exasperated with me."

"I would be too if I was her… you're on honeymoon, remember?" he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "You don't need to worry about what's going on back there- Mia, Sebastian, Charlotte and the rest of parliament to deal with Genovia."

"Okay, you're right… I was just a little taken aback at how organised things were behind my back."

"You don't have to be in control all the time, you know," he turned her head so that she was facing him. "For once, let go and have some fun… it's alright NOT to be in control all the time…"

"Alright, I will," she nodded firmly. "So, dinner at seven?"

"Dinner at seven," he affirmed.

"Well, I guess I had better find something to wear tonight and then have a shower."

"Would you like some company?" he gave her a cheeky smile and she laughed.

"No, thank you…you're very thoughtful," she caressed his cheek gently before standing up. "But if you were to help me, I doubt we would get to dinner at all!"

000

At quarter to seven, Joseph was dressed in his best navy suit and matching shirt (no tie, and no black- he hadn't want to wear it today, on their first evening) and waiting in the living room while Clarisse dressed in the bedroom.

"Are you almost ready?" he called through the closed doors- she usually didn't keep him waiting but he just wanted to make sure that she would be ready in time.

"Almost," came back her muffled voice. "You are so impatient sometimes!"

A few minutes later, the doors opened and Clarisse stepped out, feeling a little shy, her eyes staring at the floor- even now, after being married nearly two months, she still felt shy about showing Joseph what she was wearing.

She had admitted only a few years earlier that she had taken to dress for him- he had always appreciated her outfits more than Rupert, and had always been very complimentary about whatever she had said, but she still felt shy around him.

Joseph was watching her fidget nervously, finding it endearing and sweet- she had always been more than a little self-conscious about her looks and her appearance but she had always been particularly shy around him and he was touched that she wanted to dress for him- he had always appreciated the way she looked- as far as he was concerned, she was beautiful in anything and tonight was no exception, she wearing a simple navy blue lace dress, matching shoes and pearls in her ears and around her neck.

"You look beautiful," he said immediately, walking over and taking her hand and squeezing it gently as he kissed her on the cheek.

"You're just biased."

"I'm telling you the truth… and yes I'm biased, but I'm happy about that."

"Well, you look very handsome," Clarisse said after a moment, looking him up and down. "Not that you aren't always handsome, but…" she paused for a moment, looking at him again. "You're not wearing black!"

"I thought tonight warranted wearing a different colour… and we match!"

"Yes, we do. You know how they say that when married couples have been together a long time, they start to look alike and dress alike…well, we've definitely done that early!"

"True, very true… now," he quickly glanced at his watch. "We had better go if we want to get there for our reservation. Shall we?" he offered his arm to her and Clarisse looped her arm through it with a smile.

"We shall."


	9. Dinner

_A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!_

Clarisse felt a little self-conscious as they stepped off the elevator, arm in arm, and while she was aware of the two dark suited men who were behind them in the elevator (of course, they would not accompany them into the restaurant, they would be patrolling the area), only the four of them (she was more than little grateful that there had been no other occupants that had joined them in the elevator, although it would have been interesting to observe others as well) but Joseph only squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"It's fine," he murmured under his breath as they made their way through the foyer towards where the restaurant was located. "Are you still worried that you're going to be recognised?"

"No, not really… I just can't help but feel a little self-conscious, I don't know why… don't you?"

"I don't feel self-conscious, I feel _proud_ that I am escorting the most beautiful woman in the world to dinner, a woman who has been _my wife_ for nearly two months and _that_ is a fact I'm proud of…"

"You are a dear, sweet man and I'm proud to be married to you as well."

Their conversation ground to a halt when they stepped into the restaurant and were met by the head waiter dressed in a tuxedo and clutching two menus and he couldn't help but remind Clarisse of some of the men in parliament- posh, seemingly full of importance and serious about his job.

"Good evening, sir and madam. How can I help you tonight?"

"We have a reservation for two at seven o'clock, under the name of Bonnell."

"Yes, sir. If you will follow me," before he turned and walked through the restaurant, making his way easily through the tables- more than half the tables were occupied by couples around their age, or families- and while Clarisse still felt a little uncomfortable (she had never been to a restaurant before, like this, and she was still convinced that people were watching her), she was also fascinated- the restaurant was amazing, the décor even fancier than some of the embassies that she had stayed in over the years (which probably made sense, considering that they wanted to attract business) and the people… if she wasn't with Joseph, she would probably be spending the evening observing the people around her, not that she wouldn't do it anyway.

Once they had made it to their table, a discreet table in the corner of the room, away from the rest of the tables but even she could tell that it was a choice table, against the wall, chairs facing each other, the waiter (maitre'd, she suddenly remembered what they were called) pulled out her chair and she sat down with a warm smile while Joseph sat down opposite her and the waiter handed them menus.

"I'll send someone over to take your order when you're ready."

"Thank you," Joseph dismissed him with a smile before turning to look at Clarisse. "Well. We made it."

"We did indeed," Clarisse agreed, glancing around the room again, at all the couples engaged in meals and conversation and she couldn't help but marvel at all the different worlds and the people that were in the world. Even though she was a former Queen, she still couldn't help but be curious about everyone around her.

"Clarisse," she heard her husband's voice call her softly and she turned back to him almost bashfully.

"Bored with me already?" he teased and she couldn't help but blush.

"No, no, I was just looking around again… it's just amazing at how many different lives there are in the world and how we are all connected in some way- at this moment, we are all having dinner together at the same time."

"Yes, yes… but I hope that I can keep your attention on me as well," Joseph said quietly and Clarisse smiled ruefully at him.

"I keep forgetting that your attention was always focused on me for much of your professional life, while I was trained to be interested in everyone and the world around me."

"I find your view of the world intriguing, I wish I had had that training as well."

"No you don't, you would have found it draining and I, in a lot of ways, am glad that I don't have to pretend to be interested in everyone around me… believe me, I have met some quite boring people in my time, not that it was their fault."

"Are we referring to the members of parliament?" Joseph teased- he had always found them boring and dull and had disliked how they had made Clarisse's life difficult even at the best of times- and Clarisse couldn't help but nod.

"Even some of them…but still, almost everyone I met had something interesting about them…but I'm glad that I don't HAVE to do it anymore."

"As am I."

"So, am I going to form more boundaries in regards to watching people around me, and you're going to open up your world so that you're going to focus on others besides me?"

"Maybe, although I wouldn't count on me opening my world too wised, I've always enjoyed having my focus on you…"

"I must have sometimes been very boring," she said flippantly as she opened her menu- she had to admit that she was hungry- but he shook his head.

"Never. Everything you did was fascinating."

"Seriously?" she looked over her menu at him and he nodded.

"Seriously… well, almost everything."

"Well, you can tell me what DIDN'T fascinate you about me once we order, as I think I can see our waiter coming towards us and I have the feeling that he's not inclined on waiting very long for our decisions."

"Okay, okay," Joseph mumbled before he buried his face in his menu and they both concentrated on what they wanted to eat as their waiter arrived at the table.

"Are you ready to order?"

It only took them a few moments to order their meals- Clarisse opted for fish and salad while Joseph chose steak and salad- as well as their drinks (Scotch and water for Joseph, wine for Clarisse) before the waiter disappeared and they returned to their conversation.

"So, what was something about me that DIDN'T fascinate you?" Clarisse asked teasingly and Joseph shrugged.

"I can't really recall anything that wasn't interesting about you…."

"What about my gardening?"

"It's your passion and one of your pet interests, it's part of who you are."

"What about fashion?"

"I love whatever you wear, no matter what."

"Paperwork?"

"Okay, I'll admit that that's boring but your views on your paperwork were interesting… why are you so interested in discovering the boring side of you? I will have to admit now that there is not one part of you that isn't interesting to me, even if you can find some aspects."

"You're making me blush."

"You asked, I spoke the truth," he shrugged lightly. "I'm sure there's more about me that you find boring."

"Never," she said quickly as the waiter returned with their drinks and then quickly departed again. "Because we're so different, almost complete opposites, I know that YOU'RE not boring, not in the slightest. To be honest, I was married to a King but…" she paused, fiddling with the rim of her wine glass for a moment. "He may have been glamorous, handsome and intelligent to the rest of the world (particularly the men in parliament) but… he was often… boring…"

"Others could argue that he wasn't and it was quite a change for you to go from being the wife of a king to being married to a bodyguard," he said quietly and she looked up quickly. "To them, a bodyguard may seem very boring."

"Well, that is their problem, not mine. To me, you are twice, three times, even ten times the man that Rupert was- you make me laugh, you challenge me when you feel that you have to and you loved me for a long time, you always saw me as me rather than the Queen- and I will NEVER be bored with you."

"Just wait until we've been married a couple of years," he quipped with a quick smile but he was touched at her words.

"Even then, you won't be boring… although I can't say the same about me," she joked gently and they chuckled conspiratorially as they reached over and their fingers touched for a moment.

"So, what are our plans for tomorrow?" Clarisse asked after a moment and he shrugged.

"I don't know. What do you feel like doing?"

"I don't know- what do YOU feel like doing?" she retorted with a smile and he rolled his eyes.

"Very mature, dear. Seriously, what would you like to do tomorrow?"

"Could we go for a walk? Maybe in one of the parks? If the weather isn't too bad, that is."

"Yes, a walk might be very pleasant," he agreed non-committedly and she laughed.

"I know, I know, you don't like walking in gardens and parks."

"No, I like walking in gardens and parks- as long as they are with you."

"So, what's the problem?"

"There's no problem… I'm just wondering what else you were planning to springing on me tomorrow," he groaned but his tone was playful.

"What do you mean?" she looked at him wide eyed.

"I mean… are you planning on doing some shopping?"

"I hadn't really thought about it," she said with an innocent smile and he laughed.

"Sure, sure."

"Okay, maybe I'm planning on a little shopping… but after all, this is _OUR_ honeymoon, so what would you like to do?" she looked at him pointedly.

"Well… I wouldn't have minded having a sleep in or watching some television in our suite…"

"That can and will be done."

"Maybe go to a museum or the theatre… alright, maybe a movie," he amended as he saw his wife raise an eyebrow in surprise. "But just keeping things simple."

"That's what I want too," Clarisse said quickly. "This is our honeymoon and I want to keep things normal and simple, two words that I can't necessarily apply to life back in Genovia. We don't have to plan every moment of every day while we're away- except for when we're travelling, I know that's non-negotiable…"

"Not necessarily, but continue…"

"…But I think that we should just 'play it by ear', to quote Mia. I've had almost every moment of every day in my life planned for years and now I'm quite happy not to have everything planned…let's just relax and enjoy what we have now."

"Here, here," Joseph said, raising his glass to hers. "That sounds like a good idea… and look, our meals are ready…."

000

"Oh my, I don't think I can eat anymore, let alone move!" Clarisse said later as she pushed her empty plate away and sat back in her chair.

"I have to agree with you, but what a meal it was," Joseph agreed with a sigh.

"I thought the palace chefs could cook well, but this chef…. Mmmm, they have some serious competition."

"I wouldn't be saying that to the chefs when we return home," Joseph said as he sipped his drink.

"No, I wouldn't be repeating it to them… but the food was…fantastic, I'm so glad that we had dinner here tonight."

"So am I- we are going to have to do it again before we leave."

"Indeed."

"Would sir or madam would like dessert?" their waiter suddenly appeared at their table again and Joseph shook his head with a rueful smile.

"I think I'm going be right…. Dear?" he looked at Clarisse and she shook her head.

"No, thank you."

"However, I would like a bottle of your best champagne, and two glasses."

"Yes sir," before the waiter hurried away and Joseph grinned.

"Champagne?"

"Champagne," he affirmed. "I think we should commemorate this, our first night, with a celebratory bottle of champagne… "

"I think it's a marvellous idea."

Once the waiter returned to the table with the open bottle and two glasses, Joseph waved the waiter away with a hand and then poured two glasses of champagne before handing one to Clarisse, holding his glass up.

"To Clarisse. To the love of my life, the someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and am actually going to be able to do this. I'm so glad that you suggested this 'undercover honeymoon' and I hope that we will have a wonderful time."

"We will."

"My darling, you just interrupted my speech! Anyway, I'm glad that we're going to do this and I'm glad that we're doing it together."

"To us!" Clarisse interrupted with a broad smile and Joseph pretended to mock scowl at her before his face broke into just as broad a smile and leaned forward to connect his glass with hers.

"To us!"


	10. Rainy Day

_A/N: Another chapter in just over 24 hours, I'm pretty amazed that that's happened, it doesn't happen too often!_

 _Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me_

They lingered a while longer over their champagne, talking about inconsequential subjects such as Mia's plans for parliament, Scott's plans for his security team ("Do you approve of what he will do?"; "Of course I do, he's the new HOS but I will be observing how he goes… from a distance, of course," he added hastily, not wanting to offend or upset his wife, but she only smiled reassuringly) and Pierre's plans as well.

When there was a lull in the conversation, Joseph glanced around and realised that they were almost the only people left in the restaurant and, upon glancing at his watch, he was half shocked to realise that it was almost ten o'clock.

"My love?""

"Mmmm?" Clarisse was feeling a little tipsy and a little jetlagged, a feeling she had very rarely experienced during her many years of travel and the sensation surprised her, considering that they had had a nap earlier, but it also seemed inevitable, Clarisse concluded- they were getting older and they were probably tired, not that she didn't mind returning to their hotel suite and snuggling up Joseph in bed, the thought was very appealing. "What's wrong?"

"Take a look around," he encouraged and she quickly glanced around to see what Joseph had seen- an almost empty restaurant, aside from another couple on the other side of the room. They had been talking about minor subjects, nothing serious, but she hadn't realised that time had literally flown by. "Oh!"  
"As you can see, we are practically alone here… are you ready to go upstairs?"

"Yes," she nodded, unsuccessfully stifling a yawn and Joe chuckled as he rose from his seat and then moved around to help his wife from her seat.

Together, hand in hand, they made their way around the empty tables, trying to avoid the waiters who were clearing up the empty, dirty plates from other tables, before stepping out of the restaurant, much to Clarisse puzzlement.

"What?" he noticed her small frown as they waited for the elevator to arrive and the doors to open for them.

"You didn't pay for dinner just then…I thought you had to pay after the meal."

"It will be put on our bill for when we check out of the hotel."

"Oh," was all Clarisse said, feeling foolish that she didn't know anything about even a simple thing as checking out of a hotel.

"It's alright," he responded, sensing she felt a little silly, when they stepped onto the elevator and the doors closed behind him before he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"What is?"

"It's alright to ask questions."

"It's just a little embarrassing that I don't know much about common place, day to day issues that everyone has dealt with. Sometimes I really hate that I have been so protected and so shut away from the world when I was Queen."

"I can understand that."

"How can you? You're a normal man, who while may have had a very important job but you were given the opportunities that everyone else has- to have a normal life. I have never had that… and that's why Phillipe was so insistent that Mia would have a normal childhood before she knew the truth about her royal heritage."

"You may not be normal but you are special," he turned her around so that she was looking at him. "You've always been special to me and that's not going to change…you say you want to be normal but you never have been. How can you be normal when you've never had a normal life?"

"Which is why I wanted to have a normal life, or at least a normal honeymoon…" she paused for a moment and then gave him a shy smile. "However, I have done one thing that was normal."

"Oh, what's that?"

"I fell in love with you," she finished softly and reached out to touch his cheek tenderly.

"You know, if we weren't in the elevator and I wasn't certain that there wasn't a camera in the elevator, I would kiss you," he leaned over and murmured into her ear.

"Why would there be a camera in the elevator… oh, security."

"Yes,'" before the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened on their floor.

"How about kissing me now?" she murmured playfully when they stepped onto the floor.

"Maybe not now either, there's cameras on the floor as well…" but he was almost chivvying her down the hallway, faster than normal, his hand on her back and she couldn't help but chuckle throatily:

"A little anxious, are we?"

"You have no idea," he murmured, rummaging in his pocket for the room key, his free hand already outstretched to unlock the door.

As he unlocked the door, he almost pushed Clarisse into the room and slammed and locked the door behind him before turning to Clarisse and almost slamming her into the door, his lips crushing down on hers, passionately.

"You definitely wanted that kiss," she murmured as his lips descended towards her neck, his hands fiddling with the zipper on her dress while she was unbuttoning his shirt (although she couldn't actually believe that she was doing it).

"You have no idea," he repeated again before he pushed the dress off her shoulders, his lips still exploring her neck and shoulders. "You have no idea how beautiful and how sexy you are…" and, after shrugging his shirt off, he scooped her up into his arms and began walking…well, striding was a better word…towards the bedroom and, upon arrival, settled her gently on the bed.

"I was tired before but now…." she watched him shed the rest of his clothes and Joseph grinned as he joined her on the bed.

"And what about now?"

"I'm not ready to go to bed yet…" she chuckled sexily and he laughed as her arms reached out and pulled him to close to her, their lips meeting again….

000

The next morning, Clarisse was surprised to discover, when she opened her eyes, got used to her surroundings (they were actually on their honeymoon, away from Genovia and actually in a hotel suite) and rolled over to greet her husband, that his side of the bed was empty, a discovery that surprised her- Joseph usually didn't choose to leave the bed until she was awake, but today was different.

"Joseph?" she called almost timidly as she sat up in bed- it used to embarrass her that, upon her remarriage, that she usually went to bed in a nightgown (and they were much sexier than the pyjamas and nightgowns that she had worn beforehand, and even during her marriage to Rupert) but woke up usually unclothed, but she had grown to appreciate it and like it- it was proof that they were happy together.

"Coming, my dear!" came his voice from the living room and, while she waited for him to return, Clarisse glanced at the clock beside her bed and was startled to realise that it was almost ten thirty in the morning… she had never slept that late before, even once she and Joseph were married…well, maybe once or twice…

"Good morning!" came his cheerful voice and Clarisse looked up to see her husband, clad in his hotel robe, wheeling in a small cart with a silver cover on top into the room. "Although, it is very nearly afternoon," he added jokingly.

"Good morning. How long have you been up for?" she inquired as he sat down on his side of the bed, leaving the cart beside his bed and leaning over to kiss her gently on the cheek.

"For about half an hour… I thought I would order breakfast from room service and check on the weather, if we are going to have our walk today."

"And?"

"The weather isn't terrific- it's actually cloudy and on and off raining…I don't think we will be going out in that weather today, I'm sorry sweetheart."

"That's alright," she fluffed up her pillows and sank back against them. "I thought we were just planning on not doing very much- just playing it by ear?"

"True enough, well if you're happy to do nothing here, I'll pour you your tea."

"So you would have denied me my tea if I hadn't been happy to do nothing?" she pouted playfully as she accepted a cup of tea from Joseph.

"Not necessarily, I hadn't considered that… but now that I think about it…."

"You're very funny," she wrinkled her nose at him and he chuckled as he collected his cup of coffee and sat back against his pillows, next to her.

"I know, that's why you married me."

They sat there in companionable silence, sipping their tea/coffee and enjoying the peace and quiet.

"How did you enjoy waking up in a hotel bed this morning?" he asked teasingly.

"It was different," she admitted with a smile. "I have to admit that it was strange to wake up and realise that I'm in a different room, in a different city and a different country… but I also realised that I was away from Genovia… _on my honeymoon_ and that made me feel better…well, better isn't the most appropriate word… excited is probably a better word. What about you?"

"As long as I get to wake up beside you, I don't care where we are."

"Quite the romantic, aren't you?" she teased. "And I promise I won't let that little secret out to Scott or any of your other men… so, what did you order off the menu for breakfast?"

"A little bit of everything- fruit, bacon, toast, eggs, juice, pancakes… I wasn't sure what you wanted so I just ordered a bit of everything."

"I know that you're going to have to roll me off the plane if I keep eating all this food."

"Nonsense, you wouldn't have to do that, you'll still be as gorgeous as ever."

"You know, you can stop complimenting me, we are married."

"But I still like doing it… and you have to admit that you enjoy it."

"Alright, alright, I'll admit it… so, after we have breakfast… are there any good shows on television?"

"We're going to have to wait and see," he gave her a mysterious smile. "I do know that there is cable television, so we can watch old movies or new movies."

"Probably not new movies, I don't really like the films they make these days… but old films, yes I could see us watching a couple, but if you get bored, you can change the channel to something else you would prefer to see… like basketball or…."

"I can see you watching basketball!"

"I would watch it, for you… besides, I did watch my sons play basketball on occasion, need I remind you."

"No, you don't need to remind me of that, but we'll see what happens if I actually do change the channel."

000

The rest of the day seemed to fly by- or so it seemed to them, probably because they had got up so late in the morning- and Clarisse was surprised to discover that she actually enjoyed being curled up on the sofa with Joseph, watching television.

Of course, the television choices were appalling, to say the least, but they finally managed to find a film that they both agreed that they could watch and time just seemed to fly by.

At one, Joseph stood up and stretched- he too enjoyed being curled up on the sofa with his wife, something he had always dreamed of doing for years but now it had finally happened. He strode over to the window and looked out the cloudy and foggy landscape that was London- he had always enjoyed rainy weather, it was incredibly cosy to be inside, watching the rain and watching television, and he was doing it with his favourite person.

"Are you ready for lunch?" he turned back to see Clarisse standing and stretching as well.

"Yes, I think I'm hungry."

"Good, so am I," before he retrieved the menu from the table and walked over to Clarisse and they sat down and glanced through the menu together.

Clarisse was fascinated with the process of Joseph calling downstairs and ordering what they had decided to have for lunch.

"What? You look surprised," Joseph said when he had hung up the phone.

"I hadn't realised that the process was so easy, you sounded so calm and knowing."

"I've done it plenty of times before… why, would you like to try it this evening?"

"No!" she looked immediately mortified. "I'm more than happy for you to do the ordering… it's actually refreshing to have someone else doing the ordering. Anyway, I love this weather," she glanced out the window at the clouds. "It seems to make the indoor environment appealing, cosy somewhat, and it makes it so much easier to curl up on the sofa and watch movies. When I was Queen, even when it was raining, I couldn't take a day off, I still had to do my work."

"As did I, but you have to admit that you probably had the lucky end of the draw."

"How do you figure that out?"

"Well, everyone gave you space and you had your own study… can you imagine being stuck in that security hub with a group of men, most of whom hate being inside and prefer being outside and active but when stuck in the room for days on end… well, things do get a little antsy in there."

"I can just imagine… and I know that it drove you crazy over the years… so I will have to agree that I had the lucky end of the draw. Isn't it just fortunate that we don't have to worry about those 'problems' anymore, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are," Joseph put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed her close to him. "Yes we are."

Just then, there was a knock on the door and he chuckled as Clarisse gave a start- she hadn't expected a knock on the door, but she then realised that it was probably room service with their food.

"Don't worry, it's only room service."

0

"What a lovely day," Clarisse sighed happily after evening had fallen, they had switched on the lights and had barely moved from the sofa except when they were eating. "I have never felt so indolent and lazy in all my life."

"That's because you worked harder than anyone else in the world and never had a break," Joseph said. "You deserve this time to rest and relax."

"I'm not the only one- you worked just as hard as me…"

"Only because the boss was working herself into the ground, I couldn't be lazy if she was working."

"We were both workaholics and maybe it was just as well that we retired when we did," and Clarisse genuinely believed that- it had been difficult to imagine retirement and not doing as much as she had been prior to the wedding, but now that she had been retired for two months, she had to admit that she rarely thought of work and barely missed paperwork and parliament.

"All thanks to Mia and her very gentle persuasion," Joseph raised his glass of Scotch in toast to their absent granddaughter. "She had no idea about us until the end, did she?"

"I think she suspected it but couldn't prove it… but can you imagine what she would have done if she had known earlier than the day of the wedding?"

"I can just imagine… although she probably could have convinced me not to be so stubborn to retire or to walk away when the going gets tough."

"Or she could have told me to say yes a lot earlier, not to worry about her or parliament or the country… to put myself first."

"I guess that we're definitely meant to be together, then."

"Oh yes, I think so," Clarisse yawned and stood up to stretch before starting to move towards the bedroom. "I'm going to have a shower before you order dinner."

"Would you like some company?" Joseph asked helpfully, slowly standing up and moving towards her and she laughed.

"I don't know… you'll have to wait and see…" before she turned and walked a little faster towards the bedroom, listening and smiling as she heard Joseph's footsteps became a little quicker….


	11. A Stroll

_A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock!  
The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!_

The next day dawn just as wet, foggy and cold as the previous day and Joseph couldn't help but apologise to his wife when he brought in their morning cup of coffee/tea- he had chosen to wait until Clarisse was awake before deciding what they would eat for breakfast.

"Why are you apologising?" she asked quizzically after he, upon hand her a cup of tea, had added:

"I'm sorry."

"I'm apologising because the weather still doesn't look as great as it should be for our walk and other outdoor activities."

"So?"

"What do you mean, so?"

It was Joseph's turn to be puzzled- Clarisse didn't seem to be as upset or as bothered at his news as he thought she would be.

"I mean… what's the problem? I thought we had agreed to 'play it by ear' for our honeymoon."

"I know we agreed on that, but I also thought that you wanted to travel incognito, as a private citizen and see the world and places you didn't get a chance to see when you were on show…and I wasn't sure that you wanted to stay holed up in our hotel room day after day while we're here."

"Joseph, I've been to London many, many times over the years and I have been to the museums, the churches, the embassies and most places where royalty and visiting dignitaries are expected to go- at this time in my life… OUR life," she corrected with a smile, seeing him giving a sidelong glance. "I'm just happy to stay here again, if we have to, I don't mind… we've only been here two days, if you will recall… maybe we could even go downstairs for lunch or dinner at the restaurant."

"Yes, but…"

"Joseph."

She set her cup of tea on the bedside table next to her and moved so that she was facing him. "Are you seriously worried that I'm not enjoying OUR honeymoon? Did you know what my first honeymoon was like?"

"Probably lots of travelling, public appearances… or you could have spent a few weeks on a tropical island," he shrugged- it wasn't something he didn't really want to think about (although he knew that she would have gone on a honeymoon with Rupert, her first husband) but since she wanted to talk about (and she usually didn't talk about her past with Rupert), he was willing to listen.

"Partially correct…we DID do lots of travelling, but not a tropical island, although that would have been lovely- not that Rupert would have enjoyed it- and yes, there were public appearances as well… Rupert's father, the King, was planning on stepping down within the next few years, as he had been unwell, so our honeymoon was the perfect trip to introduce Rupert to the countries he would be dealing with as King… it was hardly the most romantic trip of my life, but Rupert wasn't built that way."

"No, but I just want to make sure that everything is going right… and rainy weather isn't exactly a part of our plans."

"Joseph. Sweetheart. My dear, sweet, kind husband. I don't CARE what we do or where we go, just as long as we're together," she reached over and cupped his face in her hands. "As I first said to you when we first planned this trip- I just wanted to experience a normal honeymoon _with you_ , and if a normal honeymoon consists of spending our days in our suite, that's fine with me. I don't care that the weather isn't going well, or that we're spending our second day in a suite… all that matters is that we're here together… understood?" she looked at him sternly but with a smile twitching on the corners of her mouth.

"Understood," he said finally, a smile twitching on his face as well. "I just want you to be enjoying yourself."

"I am, I truly I am," she said with a warm smile. "I love you, Joseph, and I appreciate everything you're doing to try and make our honeymoon a success… but guess what? You don't need to try anything to make our honeymoon a success- it's already a success."

"I love you too," he almost mumbled, his cheeks heating up a little at the fervency of her words- until now, he hadn't truly, one hundred percent sure that she had loved him as much as he loved her, but her words had just confirmed it to him and he suddenly felt happy and light….

"Besides," her voice suddenly became sultry as she leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips, her arms beginning to curl around his neck. "I would have thought you would have enjoyed spending another day in the suite… in bed…" she nuzzled his neck playfully and Joseph immediately set his up down on his bedside table and wrapped his arms around her.

"Of course… I hadn't thought about that…." he growled playfully as he wriggled her closer to him while starting to snuggle back down in the sheets.

"Well, maybe you should."

"Maybe I will," he murmured as he raised her face to his and she smiled.

"Good."

"Good," he responded before his lips descended down onto hers and the rest of the world seemed to melt away….

000

Later… well actually, much, much later, when they finally emerged from the bedroom, clad in their matching hotel robes, Clarisse couldn't help but notice that their breakfast wasn't waiting for them in the living room.

"Joseph?"

"I thought that you may enjoy choosing our breakfast… well, it's brunch now," he glanced at his watch. "I thought I would give you the opportunity to choose… and order, if you wish," he added with a sly glance at her and she shook her head definitely.

"No, I'm much happier if you order over the phone… but I wouldn't mind seeing what was on the menu… this is definitely a first, ordering brunch (not breakfast) while wearing a bathrobe."

"You look pretty cute in that bathrobe," he teased and she laughed along with him as she retrieved the menu from the desk and glanced out the window.

"I think I may have some good news for you and your 'plans'," Clarisse said teasingly as she joined him on the sofa.

"Oh, what's that?"

"We might be able to go for our walk… and maybe doing a little bit of… what doesn't Mia and Lily call it… 'Retail therapy'?"

"Oh no," he groaned, pretending to look disgusted. "What have I got myself in for?"

"Joseph. You're very lucky to be married to a woman that didn't do much shopping beforehand…"

"Probably because you didn't get the chance to, thanks to all the responsibilities that were on your shoulder… and not to mention the fact that you had fashion designers at your beck and call."

"Hardly at my beck and call," she said with a chortle. "I had to develop firm, beneficial relationships with most of them."

"That wouldn't have been hard, they were all dying to make clothes for you and getting the publicity for it."

"It's a beneficial relationship for both of us- I look nice and they get positive publicity."

"You look more than nice…and I'm sure that you will make up for it now that you're available to have some… retail therapy…" he moved closer to nuzzle her neck and she laughed before she gently pushed him away.

"Flatterer."

"You know that about me- I have always been biased about you…" he persisted in trying to kiss her neck but she pushed him away again, more firmly this time.

"True… but now I'm hungry and I want my lunch before we go for a walk and do some shopping."

Half an hour later, they were both dressed (and in less formal outfits than they usually wore when they were back in Genovia, Clarisse more than Joseph, who was happy in black) and stepping onto the elevator, followed shortly afterwards by another couple, around their generation.

The two men nodded at each other while the women briefly glanced at each other before focusing back on the doors.

"Lovely weather we're having here, isn't it?" the other man said to Joseph and Joseph nodded.

"I hear it 's London's main weather most of the year around.

"True enough… although there is a tiny part of summer when there is some sun…."

The wife of the other man suddenly looked over at Joseph and Clarisse again and her eyes narrowed when she looked at Clarisse…there was something about that woman, around the same age as her, if a little younger, she surmised, that seemed familiar… she didn't know how or why she seemed familiar, but it was almost as if she had been on the news or on a magazine cover….

Clarisse was painfully aware of the other woman's scrutiny- she could almost feel the woman's eyes burning into her- but instead of acknowledging the woman, by turning back to her and giving her a smile, she continued to stand beside Joseph, her hand linked with his and staring straight ahead.

The first time she would turn and acknowledge her, she knew that the other woman would suddenly remember who she was, where she had seen her and… goodbye, anonymity.

Thankfully, the elevator doors suddenly opened on the ground floor and Clarisse was relieved when the other couple left the elevator first, the woman's gaze suddenly broken away from hers and Clarisse couldn't help but a little sigh of relief.

"What?" Joseph looked at her in concern as they walked through the foyer towards the main doors and she shrugged.

"It's alright, I'm fine."

"I don't believe you, but we'll discuss it later…" before the doorman opened the glass doors and they stepped outside, their car already waiting for them at the curb.

000

The weather was still overcast as the car pulled up on the curb near the park and Clarisse smiled in delight- she had always felt at home in gardens, parks- anywhere outdoors, away from civilization (or most of civilisation), just a place where she could have some peace and quiet.

"I can see that you're looking forward to this," Joseph said as he helped her out and they walked towards the entrance to the park.

"Of course, you and I both know that I love anything that involves being outside… gardens, parks, lakes, rivers, forests… again, these are opportunities that I haven't been able to experience most of my life."

"Again, my dear, this is something that we can do now that we're retired."

"True," she mused as they strolled along, arm in arm, along the pathway and she glanced around to breath in the fresh air, admire the flowers and the greenery that was along the paths- they were obviously the only people there, something she noted to Joseph.

"Probably because everyone else, knowing what the weather is like, opted to stay inside," he joked and she squeezed his arm.

"If you don't like gardening, then WHY did you insist on accompanying me on all my strolls around the garden?"

"Well, a) I couldn't let my Queen stroll around the gardens by herself…"

"I know that, you were always so protective… but as if I would be harmed in my own garden, not with all the security measures and gardening staff in place."

"Nevertheless, I felt that it was important that someone was with you…"

"You're sweet… and was there another response to that question?"

"Oh…b) I actually wanted to spend time with you, alone, away from the palace and the protocols that were in place."

"You're quite a romantic," she turned to give him a tender smile. "I knew that about you, and you just proved that again."

"Stop," he said gruffly. "By the way, what was that sigh about?"

"What sigh?"

"The sigh you gave when we followed that other couple out of the elevator."

"Oh. That," she said flatly, suddenly remembering the moment when she had been under scrutiny from the woman from the other couple.

"Yes, that… so?"

"Oh… she was just staring at me, I could feel her eyes on me, trying to work out whether she knew me or not and I knew that if I turned to give her a smile, she would work out who I was and then…."

"It's okay," he turned her to face him, rubbing his hands up and downs her arms. "I'm sure she didn't know who you were, I'm sure she was probably admiring you and thinking that I was a lucky man to have you as my wife."

"Or, she could have been admiring you," she gently contradicted him, feeling slightly better.

"Nonsense, I was busy chatting with the husband."

"Yes, that was a nice, light conversation."

"I was being polite, that's all."

"All men are gossips, I knew that," she gave him a tiny smile and he smiled back at her, relieved that she didn't seem so worried about that moment in the elevator anymore.

"Well, I'll deny that… but Clarisse…" he tilted her chin up so that she was looking at him. "If she does recognise you, there's nothing we can do… but if you want, we can leave and go to Italy earlier than we planned."

"No," she said after a moment's consideration and they continued their walk.. "I refuse to run any more. If people recognise me, that's something I'm going to have to deal with… but I just hope that they don't recognise me… I'm enjoying myself here and I don't want to have to leave because other people think they recognise me."

"Then we'll stay here," he said decisively, and they continued their stroll, arm in arm, in companionable silence for a while until…

"Sweetheart?"

"Mmmmm?"

"I think it might be time to return to the car…."

"Why?" Clarisse sounded a little disappointed.

"Well, we could stay here if you wanted but then…."

"Then what?"

"We might get caught in a rain shower…."

"Oh…" realisation dawned in her eyes as she felt a raindrop drip lightly onto her hand. "Yes, we had better go…I don't want to get wet….."

"It might be a little too late for that…." before Joseph grabbed her hand and began racing back in the direction they had come, raindrops suddenly becoming harder and there were more and more falling from the sky….

"Who cares?" Clarisse said with a laugh, breathing heavily as she continued to run (or rather, jog) beside him, their hands still held. "What's a little rain? THIS is what I want!"


	12. Tourists

_A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me_

"Well, that's the end of that adventure," Joseph said with a grin after they had made it back to the car and, once inside, had collapsed again back against the leather seats. "Oh well, we can go back to the hotel and snuggle back up in our robes," he gave her a wink and she chuckled.

"We _could_ do that, but there are other options… if you're not too soaked," she added and he pretended to wring out his jacket sleeve.

"No, I'm actually not as wet as I thought I was going to be…how are you?" he asked anxiously- her hair seemed a little damp and she was dabbing delicately at her face with a lace handkerchief, but she didn't seem too bad.

"I'm a little damp but nothing to serious… I'll dry off," Clarisse joked with a chortle.

"So, if we're not wet… what would you like to do? I assume you have something up your sleeve?"

"Not necessarily," she looked at him coyly before looking down at her hands. "I never have anything up my sleeve…" but a smile was playing on the edges of her lips and Joseph couldn't help but chuckle as he reached over and took her hand in his.

"What? What would you like to do today? Maybe the weather will change in the next couple of hours…"

"Well… this may sound silly, but… I was wondering if we could do some touristy things…"

"Such as?"

"Well… we could always visit some of the areas that the tourists seem to enjoy… Buckingham Palace, to see the changing of the guard… Westminster Abbey…the Victoria and Albert Museum…"

"Yes, we could do that… would you be interested in going up in the London Eye?"

"The Eye?"

"Yes, the London Eye, a massive Ferris wheel type structure, they built it for the Millennium…I think we may have driven past it a few times when we were here before."

" _That_ tall structure is 'The Eye'? They actually have people go up and down in it?"

"Yes… and I've heard that the view is quite spectacular… do you want to have a ride on it?"

"No, thank you. Definitely not," she shook her head quite vehemently. "I don't have a fear f heights as such… but going up that high, definitely not."

"Chicken," he teased and she turned to look at him with a twinkle in her eyes.

"It doesn't mean that you can't go up in it. I'm sure that I will be quite safe with the men who are with us and are in a car several parks down."

"Hmm… actually, no, I'm not keen on going up in that thing, I was sure that you wanted to… and it's also not a height issue for me, either," he added hastily as Clarisse tried to suppress a smile, knowing that Joseph did have a fear of heights, although not too bad as he had always been able to stand on the palace roof and have a view of the grounds around him.

"I know that, my love," she said soothingly, reaching over and touching his cheek with her hand. "It's probably not something we should experience, although I'm sure that Mia and Phillipe would have enjoyed it."

"I think that they would have… although… would Mia be allowed on it now that she's Queen?"

"Hmm… I don't think so."

"So. We've been sitting here for a little while and the rain is still falling… what would you like to do?" Joseph looked at her expectantly and Clarisse sighed, glancing out the window.

"I wouldn't mind just having a drive around London- yes, in the traffic, I know it's appalling- and just looking around… I've been to the museums, the Abbey and the Cathedral, as well as Buckingham Palace…"

"I think that that's something that most people cannot claim."

"Still, I never had the opportunity to see the changing of the guards, I always seemed to be rushing to a meeting or somewhere else," she mused and Joseph nodded, before leaning forward and speaking quietly to the driver, before sitting back as the car took off, the other man in the passenger seat muttering into a mobile phone.

"I certainly wasn't rushing you when I was there," Joseph commented.

"No, no, it wasn't you, it was a long time before you came to the palace… I think Rupert and I had been married only a year or two and I still wasn't quite sure of my role… and then to meet Her Majesty…it was an incredible experience and then… Rupert went ahead into a meeting with her and I was shuttled off to another public occasion and… I can still remember being almost pushed down the hallways towards the car… the man at the time didn't know me too well, he was Rupert's man through and through and…"

"That's awful," he squeezed her hand tightly- he could envision the scene, the young Crown Princess being surrounded by people she didn't know, a security team who's loyalty was to the Crown Prince and being shoved down the hallway like an animal….

"It was years ago, Joseph," Clarisse said gently, seeing the scowl on his face and it was her turn to squeeze his hand gently. "I was very young then, I didn't understand what was going on but I did learn and I did grow up… and I eventually ended up with a security team that was loyal to me and didn't treat me as if I was a possession."

"Well… I…."

"Yes, you went in the opposite direction, you treated me as if I was a fragile little bird, or like a glass doll… and I did appreciate that most of the time…."

"But there were times that that attitude frustrated you."

"Yes, it did," she agreed with a smile. "It most certainly did… but then, I thought about it in another way and I knew that I had to appreciate what you were doing for me."

"What made you change your mind?"

"I thought that… I was very, very fortunate to have a bodyguard who cared so much about me, as a person, rather than an institution and that my safety was his primary concern- he _wanted_ me to be safe, and when I was fighting against it, I was causing additional problems and you didn't deserve any more on your plate."

"I know that you were fighting against protocols and rules, I just wanted to make it easier for you…as well as keeping you safe."

"Which you did, one hundred times over. I was the lucky one."

"Well, we could argue about that as well."

"Alright, we're both lucky- to have each other," she agreed with a smile before relaxing back in her seat, her hand still clasped in Joseph's.

0

As it turned out, they made it in time to see the Changing of the Guards, and while Clarisse was admiring their uniforms- they were certainly formal and well dressed- both she and Joseph were admiring the formality and the exactness of each movement- everything was well in order, well-practiced and well executed.

"I could take a few ideas back for Scott," Joseph mused once the ceremony was over and they were making their way back to their car.

"I doubt Scott would welcome anything like that back in Genovia… although our guard system is less formal than this."

"Only slightly."

"Yes… but, then again, these men are protecting one of the most powerful women in the world, the head of the Commonwealth and the figure head for the Church of England."

"That may be the case, but the guards back home are and have been guarding someone just as important and powerful in the world and their job is just as important as those guards," he waved back towards the palace guards. "Still… I would like to see some of my former colleagues take some notes from these guys."

"Oh Joseph, don't be a tease, you wouldn't do that to them," she chided him gently as they reached the car- and they could feel the sprinkling of rain on their shoulders again- and he only winked as he opened the back door and gently pushed her towards it.

"Maybe, maybe not," was his ambiguous response and Clarisse only chuckled as she stepped back into the car, Joseph close behind. "So, where to next?"

0

It wasn't exactly the day they had planned- Clarisse had really wanted to explore some of the city parks and gardens, but the weather hadn't gotten any better, but Joseph had reassured her that they would visit the gardens some other day.

"We're not exactly in a hurry to go anywhere else, are we?" he offered as gentle reassurance and she had smiled.

"True… but make sure that we do something that you want to do as well. What would you like to do?"

After the Changing of the Guard, they had spent twenty minutes in a traffic jam (not that it bothered either of them, they were happy to sit in the car and chat), they had passed by some of the older buildings in London, including Westminster Abbey and Joseph had to ask:

"Have you been there? Did you come to some of the royal weddings?"

"Yes, I have been in there and I did try to come to some of the royal weddings, I was usually the representative, since Rupert hated travelling and weddings…. Don't you remember, you were with me for some of them?"

"Yes… I may have accompanied you to England, but I wasn't necessarily part of your personal contingent… I think you were heavily protected by security here."

"But you were around somewhere, weren't you?" She looked at him with a puckered forehead- she hadn't realised that Joseph hadn't been as close to he as she had hoped (although it was natural that she would be protected by the host nation's security), she hadn't really thought about it, being involved in socialising at the wedding and subsequent receptions, catching up with old friends and distant relatives that she hadn't seen in a long time, but now that she had thought about it… she didn't like the fact that her personal bodyguard hadn't been as close as she had thought.

"Yes, I was as close as I could be to you… and remember, I was always there to escort you to and from the embassies," he said gently, seeing the confusion on her face- he knew that she probably wouldn't have liked it but he had understood.

"Yes, yes… but…."

"Clarisse, you couldn't have argued with Her Majesty's security team. The weddings were very high profile events and everything had to be planned in perfection, nothing given to chance and I understood that. I was more than happy just to be part of the team, even if it meant that someone else was in charge. I know you would have liked me to be near you, but…."

"I understand what you're saying, it's alright… it's just in retrospect…"

"I know, but we don't have to worry about that anymore, do we?" he took both of her hands in his and squeezed them tightly and Clarisse beamed happily at him, her cheeks turning a healthy pink.

"I know… the next royal wedding (or any wedding for that matter), you're not going to be my bodyguard or my Head of Security… you're going to be my husband… my date, as Mia would say."

"Your 'date'?" he wrinkled his nose at that- some of Mia's modern language wasn't to his liking.

"Yes, date…and I'll be yours," she gave him a sweet smile and he laughed.

"Alright, that's fair then," before he glanced out the window and noticed that the rain had started getting heavier.

"I don't think we'll be doing any more touristy things today," Clarisse said from beside him and he nodded as he turned back to her.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop that," she playfully swatted his arm. "I told you not to apologise for things that are beyond your control- and the weather is one just thing. We're having fun- a rain shower, a very short walk in a garden, witnessing the guard change, stuck in a traffic jam and seeing some of London's amazing architecture…I think we've had a massive day and I'm more than pleased to go back to the hotel."

"Shall we have dinner in the restaurant?" he asked after informing the driver of their plans.

"That might be nice," she agreed, before she started to yawn and Joseph couldn't help but chuckle. "Or maybe room service might be nice…."

"Whatever you say, my dear, whatever you say!"


	13. Catch Up

_A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!_

"What a lovely day!" Clarisse said with a broad smile as she stepped back into their suite, Joseph following suit, closing and gently locking the door behind her.

"Even though we spent most of the day in the car?" Joseph pretended to scowl as he collapsed down on the couch with a groan. "I'm just relieved that I had my knee replacements _before_ we got married! I don't think I could have coped too well if I had waited."

"I wouldn't have waited- I would have insisted you would have had the knee replacements… and I would have had them one at a time, not both at once," she said easily as she sat down next to him and kicked off her shoes with a sigh.

" _That_ I wouldn't have agreed to, not by a long shot," this time the scowl was real and she laughed at him- she loved it when he got ferocious and stubborn, although she had found it very, very irritating when she was Queen and he was her personal bodyguard and head of security.

"Maybe it's just as well _you_ stubbornly insisted on having both knees done at the same time," Clarisse said lightly, tapping him on the knee.

"Maybe it's just as well _you_ insisted on me having them done when I did- the Christmas after our visit to San Francisco."

"Well, I couldn't bear watching you limp everywhere, knowing that you were in pain and stubbornly insisting that you were alright and could fulfil all your duties."

"That's the second time you've called me stubborn."

"It's the truth, and I've called you stubborn many, many times over the years."

"Hello, pot," he gave her a significant look and they both laughed together, enjoying their easy-going camaraderie that had made their relationship in their beginning, starting with friendship and then deepening into something so much more deeper, something that neither of them could understand but knew that it was a connection between them.

Clarisse had never been able to tease, laugh and joke with Rupert- although there had been some laughter and humour in their relationship, although it had decreased over the years- and she had never felt so comfortable with any man aside from Joseph. It was strange, how quickly she had trusted him, sensing that he would look after her and ensure she was well protected- but now… now it seemed to make sense.

Joseph hadn't initially understood the connection he had to the Queen- he hadn't understood how compelled he felt to protect her, look after and ensure that no one would hurt her (and that included her own husband) but as the years went by, he understood- and that while he saw other women, the relationships were so different to the one he shared with Clarisse…and that that was the relationship he wanted.

"Are you sure you don't want to have dinner downstairs this evening?"

"Oh darling, I don't think so… today has been a wonderful day but I'm rather tired…would you mind if we just had dinner here tonight?"

"I don't mind whatever we do…" before he reached for his mobile. "Hmm… a message from the palace…"

"I hope there's nothing wrong," Clarisse said anxiously, sitting up, some of the relaxation seeming away.

"I'm sure there's not," Joseph soothed, although he had to wonder… Scott had promised not to call unless there was an emergency and now….

"Hello?"

"Princess?"

"Joe… sorry, Grandpa!"

"Is there something wrong? I thought…."

"No, no, no, there's nothing wrong, I just wanted to check up on you guys, see how it was going… Uncle P told me to leave you alone but…."

"You are quite a cheeky young lady, aren't you," Joseph grinned at Clarisse and Clarisse visibly relaxed- she had seriously though there was something wrong. He put his hand over the mobile to whisper quietly to Clarisse: "Your granddaughter is just calling to check up on us."

"She told us not to call again when we rang before!" Clarisse said in astonishment and Joseph nodded before retelling that to Mia.

"I know, I know, I just couldn't resist… and I know it would be only be a day or two before Grandma insisted on calling us anyway!"

"Well, that's true enough," Joseph couldn't help but agree. "I'm sure she would probably call when we moved on, to Paris or to Rome…."

"See? I was pre-empting the call!" Mia couldn't help but sound triumphant.

"Would you like to talk to her?"

"No thanks, just let her know that I send my love- as does Pierre and… oh! There was a reason why I called."

"Have the press worked out that we're gone?"

"No, not at all, they've all just surmised that you're 'enjoying your honeymoon' either in the palace or at the beach house. I think most of them agree that you two deserve to have some privacy."

"Finally. They've accepted it… so, what was the reason for your call, aside from checking up on us?"

"The Genovian Ambassador in London contacted me- he would like to host a dinner for you while you're there."

"But… we're supposed to be undercover…and how did he find out that we're not in Genovia?" _So much for having any privacy at all…_

"I honestly don't know… I didn't say a word to him, neither did Pierre or Scott…."

"Does anyone else know what we were up to?" _Suddenly their private honeymoon had gotten very complicated…._

"Did you mention it to Sebastian?"

"Only in passing… did he…?" Joseph suddenly felt annoyed at the Prime Minister- he was an intelligent, kind man and he hadn't thought that he would have revealed confidential information to anyone… not that their honeymoon was confidential….

"He must have, but the Ambassador insists that he will not say a word to anyone, he says he will even sign a confidentiality agreement for you… but he just wanted you and Grandma to have dinner with him and his wife… no one else, I promise."

Joseph suddenly felt foolish, overreacting as he did to an innocent slip up- but he was in earnest that Clarisse would experience a private life.

"Alright, that's fine… contact him and find out when he would like to do that and message my men… Sorry, I didn't mean to snap."

"It's okay, I understand… believe me, we all understand how important this is to you and we're all doing our best to ensure that it happens," Mia sounded unusually sober and Joseph suddenly felt even more foolish. "Anyway, yes I will do that and get back to your men… what are your plans for tonight? Going to have dinner at the restaurant again?"

"No, we've had a big day…."

"Oh?"

"Being tourists… so we're probably going to have room service and have an early night… what about you?"

"Just about finished my paperwork, so Nicholas and I will probably have dinner in the dining room and then watch a movie."

"How is going with you two?" Joseph loved Mia as his own, and he was fond of Nicholas as well, he had been very strong and brave standing up to his uncle as he had (and in such a public way) at the wedding, but he had known the young man was a good man before that….

"Okay… fine…" Mia suddenly sounded coy and Joseph knew that he had probably pushed her too far. "He's been busy gaining support for himself to replace his uncle in parliament… and it turns out there is a lot of support for him, much to his surprise."

"He shouldn't be surprised, he's a fine young man and I would be pleased to give my recommendation if necessary… and I'm sure your grandmother would do the same."

"Thanks, I'm sure he would appreciate that. But yes, he's been busy with doing that, as well as sitting in on some parliament meetings in preparation for when he actually is accepted, and I'm busy with my own load but we manage to see each other at least once a day, or talk on the phone… but anyway, I have to go, sorry for disturbing you and I'm sure one of your men will get back to you about that dinner. Have fun! Bye!"

The briskness and speed with which she spoke almost bemused Joseph, especially once he realised that she had hung up before he could respond, as he turned to Clarisse with a surprised expression.

"What's going on? Was something wrong in Genovia?" Clarisse asked, although, judging by the light-heartedness of the conversation, she was certain that there wasn't anything wrong.

"No, as I said to you before, she was checking up on us…. and oh, the ambassador wants to have dinner with him and his wife while we're here."

"How did he know that we were here?" although she didn't look as upset as Joseph had been, more surprised.

"Sebastian said something in passing… and yes, I said something in passing to him… but Mia swears that no one else knows."

"Well, that's a good thing," but Clarisse still didn't seem too bothered about their 'secret honeymoon' being discussed among a few people- they could be trusted, she knew that.

"She'll get back to us about a day time… would you like to go?"

"It would be rather rude if we didn't go, but yes, I would like to go… it would be our first dinner with others as a married couple," she beamed at him and Joseph couldn't help but grin back.

"With me as your….date."

"Yes, with you as my date," she affirmed, reaching over and touching his cheek gently.

"Well, I couldn't miss that opportunity, even if I wanted to."

"You know what else it means?" she gave him a sly look and he looked curious.

"What?"

"We have to go shopping in the morning!" she beamed again at him and Joseph couldn't help but groan.


	14. Shopping

_A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me_

The next morning, Clarisse was up and about earlier than Joseph had expected- he woke up and turned to greet her (although she was usually still asleep when he woke up, which was something he enjoyed, just doing something as simple was watching her sleep) and was surprised to discover her side of the bed was empty, the sheets and covers pushed back.

"Clarisse? Sweetheart?" he sat up, suddenly feeling slightly apprehensive about where she was- _what if she had gone downstairs_ \- but he knew that he was being irrational, she wouldn't go anywhere without him, she was content to remain in the suite and him, not that he didn't appreciate it but he was worried that she had done quite a back flip from being an independent woman to being simply 'the wife'.

" _I like being at your side," she had said when he had mentioned it to her a month into their marriage. "It's what I have wanted for a long, long time."  
_

 _"But… you were… still are… an independent woman… I don't want you to change because of me."  
_

 _"I'm not changing because of you, I'm changing because I want to change… Despite appearances, I'm actually quite an old fashioned woman and I… it may sound silly but… I want to be a wife, I never really had that opportunity when I was married to Rupert."  
_

 _"But…"  
_

 _"Joseph," she had taken his face in her hands. "Joseph, you're not forcing me to do anything I don't want to do. I have been the Queen, the wife, the mother, the grandmother, the Crown, the representative of Genovia, the fashion icon, the surprisingly intelligent woman (according to some members of parliament) and now… I just want to be me, and that means that I want to spend much of my time with my husband. "I'm going to want to do my own things as well, one day, but at the moment… I just want to appreciate our time together, we've been waiting so long for it."_

He wasn't trying to curtail her independence or anything, but he was also super protective of her when they were away from home- despite her cosmopolitan appearance and the way

"Yes, I'm just coming," he heard her voice from the living room and she appeared moments later with the tray of her tea and his coffee.

"You're up and about early," he commented as he accepted his cup from her and Clarisse chuckled as she sat down on the edge of the bed, looking smug.

"Well, I figured that we have to shop for outfits for this dinner, I thought we should be up and about early."

"I didn't know that you were that passionate about shopping."

"I'm not exactly… although it would have been difficult to go shopping when I was Queen and have everyone recognise me."

"It certainly would have been fun for your HOS," he joked easily.

"True enough… although Mia never seemed to understand why I wasn't all that interested in shopping…

" _Why on earth aren't you interested in shopping, Grandma? I can't go a week or a fortnight without checking out the stores, or even the fashion magazines," Mia had said upon discovering that her grandmother hadn't visited any stores or malls since she was very young, prior to her engagement to Rupert. It sounded as though her grandmother had been living in_

" _I didn't say that I'm not interested- I do have an interest in fashion, seeing that I should be up to date and dressed appropriately, as the representative of this country- but can you imagine the furore that would occur if I even TRIED to go into Pyrus to go shopping?"  
_

 _"Oh… yeah," Mia suddenly felt foolish, realising that it would be virtually impossible for her grandmother to just that, before she then realised that, upon her ascension to the throne, it would be her who would not be able to go shopping. "Grandma, does that mean that it's going to happen to me as well? That I'm going to be stuck here, prevented from doing things that other young women do?"_

 _That questions had momentarily cut Clarisse to the quick at the question- had she really been_ _ **trapped**_ _in the palace? Had she really been prevented from leading a different life, that she had been almost frozen behind her image as Her Majesty Queen Clarisse Renaldi, wife to His Majesty King Rupert? If she had had the choice, would she have made different decisions?_

 _ **Possibly,**_ _she allowed herself, although she also knew that she hadn't had the options that Mia had now… and Mia, she determined, would not be allowed to feel as though she was 'trapped' into a job that she hadn't imagined she would have had seven years earlier._

" _NO," she said firmly, startling both of them. "You are of a different generation, you have far more options that I had and if you want to go shopping, you should be allowed to do what you want… within reason of course… and I'm sure that Sebastian and your security team will give you some allowances. In fact, I'm going to insist on it."  
_

 _"Go Grandma!" Mia said with a grin- she loved seeing her grandmother get feisty and determined- at least her first husband and his family hadn't squashed it out of her._

"You look thoughtful," Joseph's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"What were you thinking about?" She always looked so beautiful anyway, but when she was absorbed in her thoughts, there was something about her… she looked dreamy and almost breathtaking.

"I was just thinking about how Mia had been stunned to realise that I had never actually stepped into a shop to do personal shopping and that she had been more than a little worried that she would be as trapped as I was… I of course reassured her that she wouldn't be trapped, that she could still have a few opportunities to live as a normal young woman... yes, she's not a normal young woman, but she should be able to feel as though she is, in certain aspects."

"Yes, I agree with you there," he said quickly, but he was distracted by something else she had said. "But… did you seriously feel that you were trapped in the palace?"

He had never thought about that before- she had had the opportunities to travel and meet world leaders and other people that most people would never meet in their lifetime, as well as experience different cultures- but, upon reflection, the flip side of the coin was that she was so well protected that she wasn't able to experience things that most young women her age had been able to; her access to her sons had been more limited than most typical mothers; her husband had never really appreciated her skills and qualities; and her residences were more opulent than most… but yes, in a lot of ways, she had been in a gilded cage.

"In some ways, I felt trapped but I accepted it… I had two healthy sons, I lived in a country that I loved and that I cared about, I learnt new things about my country and other countries and I met new and different people… but yes, there were times when I felt as if there was no escape from the life I was leading, until…"

"Until what?"

"Until you came into my life," she leaned over and touched his cheek gently. "Then I knew that there were things that I can look forward to….and now…."

"And now, there's even more to look forward to," he said, leaning over and kissing her gently lightly on the lips. "Lots more to look forward to… even shopping," he groaned and she laughed.

"Even shopping."

000

As soon as they stepped into the store that Clarisse had wanted to go to, Joseph was amazed to see the transformation that came over his wife, as if she suddenly became the Queen again, not just a wife, mother and grandmother, and he was just happy to stand back in the corner and watch as she met with the store assistants and began looking through some of the clothes on the shelves- of course, they were at a boutique- Clarisse had been curious about going to a 'mall' ( _"I've heard Mia and Lily talk about what they did at a shopping centre, and I wouldn't mind experiencing a trip there"_ she had suggested earlier when he had inquired about where she wanted to go) but Joseph had vetoed the idea, both on practical reasons (the security team would have enough trouble tracking them through a variety of stores) as well emotional (he wasn't quite sure how Clarisse would cope in a strange situation such as a mall, she handled crowds well but in a confined space… even he wouldn't go in those areas if he had a choice) as well as the basic reason: that they might be recognised.

Clarisse was a little disappointed, but even she had to admit that she didn't miss crowds now that she was retired (and even Mia and Lily's descriptions hadn't met with much appeal or interest) and it would cause more trouble for everyone, particularly if they were recognised.

Still, she was looking forward to buying something simple but elegant for the dinner with the ambassador (which, as it turned out, would be that evening, thanks to Mia's intervention) - the clothes she had brought were not for a dinner with the ambassador (even though she was retired, she was still viewed as Queen) and, she had to admit, she was a little excited to buy a new dress… for Joseph more than anyone.

Joseph quickly grew bored within moments of Clarisse looking at dresses, so he made himself at home in a chair and accepted a cup of coffee from one of the hovering assistants- he knew that he would probably have to buy a jacket and tie for the dinner (he was fairly sure that one of the few suits he had brought with him would be appropriate) but for now, he was happy to sit back and take it easy… as well as watch his wife modelling new clothes.

She had had designers and tailors come to the palace and help make her outfits, or make adjustments, and he knew that she had ordered clothes via specialist designers, but this was the first time that she had been able to experience choosing her own clothes and modelling them for him.

"What do you think?" he suddenly heard her inquire and he looked up to see her standing in front of him, clad in a simple cream coloured dress with long sleeves and a mid-shin length him. It was lovely, he had to admit, but it washed her out a little, particularly given her fair complexion.

"I like it."

"Really?" she looked vulnerable and he had to admit that he found it appealing.

"Really," he affirmed and she looked back down at it again, still uncertainly.

"I don't know… I think the colour might wash me out a little… I like it, but…."

"There are still plenty of other dresses in the store, you can still look around."

"Alright," she beamed at him and almost spun on her heel to head back towards the changing rooms.

0

Almost two hours and numerous outfits later, Clarisse had finally chosen her outfit (and it was one that Joseph hadn't seen, piquing his interest) and the assistant had put it into a dress bag as Clarisse had reached into her handbag and brought out her purse.

"I can…." Joseph offered but she shook her head.

"No, it's my dress and I wish to pay for it," and she did- and Joseph was surprised that she wasn't at all fazed by the transaction.

"You seem surprised," she commented as they left the store, Joseph carrying her dress bag.

"Well, I…."

"Joseph, I have paid for things before, I do know how to use a credit or debit card and I know how to use money as well…"

"I just hadn't seen you do it before now…" he muttered, a little ashamed that he had thought that Clarisse was that out of touch with the real world.

"It's alright," she said when they were in the car. "I usually had charge accounts and the bills were sent to the accountant, but this time… I'm sure Mia is more than happy to have the bills still sent to the accountant, but… I just wanted to something for myself, without relying on others, do you understand?" she looked at him intently and he nodded.

"I do." Her independence streak was definitely coming out. "I do, and I admire you for it….so what now?"

"We need to get you a jacket and tie," she gave him a sly look and he groaned, although he had been expecting it. "And then, I may need some new shoes….but first, why don't we have lunch?"

"That's a good idea, I'm starving. I had no idea shopping could whip up an appetite, but it has for me."

"Poor dear," Clarisse reached over and touched his cheek. "Poor, poor dear."


	15. The Ambassador's Dinner (Part One)

_A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock! It's been a little while!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!_

After enjoying a quiet lunch in a discreet restaurant away from the public eye (and both Joseph and Clarisse doubted that the owners knew who they were or even cared) and completing their shopping expedition (Joseph would have been happy with any jacket and tie but Clarisse was very particular, much to his amusement), Joseph surprised Clarisse by returning her to the park that they had been trying to walk around a few days earlier.

"You didn't have to do this!" she cried in delight as they climbed out of the car. "I know that you don't like strolling around gardens."

"That's not true- I always enjoyed strolling around the palace gardens with you."

He was telling the truth- their almost daily walks around the palace gardens had been important to him, they had formed part of their courtship, one of the few ways that they could have some private time to themselves, something which he mentioned to his wife only moments later as they walked down the path.

"Really? You enjoyed them?"

"I did."

"I didn't think you were interested in gardening."

"I'm not so much interested in gardening, I'll admit that, although I do appreciate the work that the gardeners do… and you, of course…."

"I really didn't get that much of an opportunity to garden- I wish I could have, it was so therapeutic…."

"Maybe you will be able to now that we're both retired."

"True…" she mused- she hadn't really thought of retirement that way, but she could, she realised, now garden to her heart's content, if she wanted. "So, I interrupted you before… you were saying?"

"I was saying that I appreciate the work of gardeners but I also enjoyed just having the opportunity to have some alone time with you," he squeezed her arm gently and she smiled.

"Yes, I enjoyed that too… Now I can understand why you considered our walks as part of our courtship, they were definitely part of it. Away from the cameras, away from the palace staff, away from civilisation…"

"You make us sound like we were in the middle of nowhere," Joseph couldn't help but chuckle as she nudged him in the ribs.

"You know what I mean… we weren't seen by people, and you usually dismissed the gardeners that were around with a quick flick of the wrist."

"Although I sense that they all suspected what was going on…"

"But they were very discreet and didn't mention anything."

"Probably because they knew that if they did say anything, they would be fired or given a severe dressing down by me… everyone knows that I've got a temper."

"Really?" Clarisse looked back at him, an eyebrow arched sarcastically. "Who would have guessed?"

"You know well enough, you were often in the firing line… but I still argue that those instances were justified."

"Well…."

"No, we're not going to revisit those instances…."

"You know, Rupert was a little amazed that you were able to tell me off sometimes… he wondered why I didn't fire you or demote you."

"How did he know?"

"He heard through his security team…and, why didn't you fire me?"

"You know perfectly well why not."

"Because you already adored me and knew that you couldn't live without me?"

"Oh yes, definitely that," she agreed with just the same tone of sarcasm. "It would have been a bit hard to hide that though… but you DO know why, don't you?" Clarisse turned to look at him almost anxiously and he laughed, squeezing her hand.

"Of course I know… you trusted me over anyone else… that was actually quite a compliment."

"It was the truth though… It still is."

They continued to walk along, arm in arm, in silence for a time, Clarisse often pausing to examine a bush or a flower, Joseph less than interested in the gardens but enjoying watching the pleasure on his wife's face- she truly appreciated gardens and gardening and while he wished he had the same level of appreciation, he knew that he considered the palace gardens special simply because it was part of their relationship.

"I could spend all day in the gardens at the palace," Clarisse sighed when they finally finished their walk and were slowly making their way back towards their waiting car.

"As I said before, I'm sure you will have the opportunity to do so when we return home."

"I'm sure the palace gardeners will really enjoy me being in the garden…. From Queen to gardener, that's quite a change in roles!"

"Nevertheless, you should have the right to do what you want…maybe you could create a garden at the beach house or even at the cabin…"

"Maybe," she mused before she climbed back into the car, Joseph following behind. "But before we can even consider anything like that, we have to have dinner with the Ambassador this evening."

"Oh," Joseph groaned. "I am glad that I'm nowhere near Sebastian…."

"He meant well, I'm sure he didn't mean to cause any trouble… and it's only a dinner for four…you will actually get to meet the Ambassador…"

"I've met him before…"

"But only as my HOS… not as my husband… and I have to admit, I'm a little excited about you being able to escort me to an occasion such as this… silly, I know," she looked down at her hands in her lap for a moment and Joseph didn't hesitate to reach over and take one of her hands in his and squeeze it.

"Not silly…wonderful. I can't wait to be able to escort you either…."

Back in their hotel suite, Clarisse began making preparations to start getting ready, causing Joseph to joke:

"I would have thought you would have downgraded your preparations seeing as though you don't have any maids to help you."

In response, Clarisse gave him a look of mock hauteur.

"I may not have any maids to help me, Joseph, my dear husband, but I am still able to use all the necessary preparations even if I had had them here with me… although, if you wished, I could contact the palace and ask if they could come here," before she burst out laughing at his look of horror. "Don't worry, darling, I won't do that… and I promise that I won't make you wait longer than necessary," she said, giving his cheek a loving caress. "But if you wish me not to keep you waiting, I had better start preparing now," before she turned and almost flounced towards their bedroom.

000

Joseph, as he had expected, was dressed and waiting a touch impatiently a couple of hours later and he was hard pressed to remain seated, staring at the television screen and not pace. He was only a little impatient at Clarisse herself for taking so long to get ready, but he was more preoccupied about how the dinner with the Ambassador and his wife was going to go.

Clarisse said the Ambassador was a nice man and would be welcoming of him, but Joseph wasn't quite so sure… there were times when he had witnessed the man talking down to some of his security men (not Joseph, he wouldn't allow himself to be talked down, he was just as good as the ambassador) and he had heard that he had a filthy temper, although he had never witnessed that.

Maybe he was feeling a little insecure because he had never spent time with the people that Clarisse had spent most of her life with, and he wasn't sure what he was going to do and say- yes, he was proud that he was going to escort his wife to dinner, but he also wondered how the ambassador would behave towards him….

He hadn't had to wonder about others when back in Genovia- yes, some members of parliament (mainly cronies of Viscount Mabrey) had been unpleasant towards him, acting superior and pretending not to hear him when he and Clarisse were mixing with them, but their relationship had been an open secret in Genovia (particularly after the King had passed away) and most people were delighted to see their Queen happy again.

"I'm ready," he heard a voice from behind him and he turned to see Clarisse standing almost shyly in the door way of the bedroom and Joseph stood to see her looking lovely… no, beautiful… in a simple grey silk and lace dress, with a hem down to her shins, long sleeves and a straight neckline, with matching shoes. The only jewellery she was wearing was the pearl necklace and earrings that she had inherited from her grandmother.

"You look… gorgeous," he gasped- he had never really appreciated how clever she was with her dresses and makeup- she turned even the most basic of outfits into something lovely or wonderful. "Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!" Joseph raved appreciatively as he moved towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Flatterer," she teased, her cheeks turning a deep pink- he had always been so appreciative of what she wore, always complimenting her and while it was still something she had to get used to (Rupert's compliments were rare and few and far between) but she had to admit that she loved his open admiration of her.

"The truth is all," he said lightly before leaning forward and kissing her lightly on the lips. "I would give you a longer kiss but I think we're late… and I don't want to start something that I can't finish….you being such a good kisser and all."

"That's not true," she said, blushing even harder and he chuckled before he tipped her chin up so that her eyes were meeting his.

"It is true…."

"Even if I'm not as experienced…"

"That just makes you even more special…there have only been two men that you have kissed- Rupert and I… and I am honoured that I am one of two."

"You're too sweet," she reached over and caressed his cheek gently. "But I thought that we were late."

"Queens are never late, everyone else is early."

"I don't think that applies to former Queens," Clarisse said pensively as Joseph pulled away from her and then they walked towards the door hand in hand.

"Nonsense, I think it would apply to former Queens even more," he said encouragingly and she laughed.

"You're just making that up."

"No, I'm not," he paused to turn and lock the door before turning back towards her and taking her hand again. "I'm sure it's right."

"Whatever you say, dear," Clarisse said complacently as they arrived at the elevator doors, perfect timing as the elevator doors opened and they stepped in to find the occupants being the same couple that they had encountered days earlier.

"Evening," the other man said amiably.

"Evening," Joseph said as he stood beside the man and Clarisse stood next to the wall.

"Going down to the restaurant for dinner?" the other man seemed to be in the mood for conversation while their wives stared straight ahead- or at least, Clarisse did, although she had the sense that she was being observed.

"No, we're going out for dinner this evening. Are you eating at the restaurant today?"

"Yes, the food is terrific… where are you headed?"

"I can't remember the name of the restaurant off hand, but we're meeting friends beforehand."

"Are they meeting you in the foyer?"

The man was being quite persistent with his questions and Clarisse suddenly felt more than a little uncomfortable, although Joseph seemed unflappable.

"No, we're meeting them outside."

Finally, finally the elevator stopped the ground floor and the doors opened, much to Clarisse's relief, and while the conversational man had indicated that they could go first, Joseph waved them ahead.

As she left the elevator, the man's wife, who had been silent during this trip as like before, turned and gave Clarisse another piercing look and Clarisse suddenly felt chilled to the bone- it was almost as if she was working out who she was… or if she had finally made the connection, and she sincerely hoped that she hadn't….

"Was it just me or was that man quite chatty?" Joseph murmured under his breath as they made their way through the busy foyer towards the glass front doors.

"I suppose he was… you handled him quite well," Clarisse said distractedly. "His wife….she still seems to be trying to work out who I am…"

"I'm sure she's not…."

"It feels like she was," Clarisse said as they stepped out into the cool evening and he turned to look at her- he trusted his instincts and he knew he could trust hers as well, so if she was feeling uncomfortable, he knew that he had to listen. He waited until they were bundled into the car before he turned to her and ran a hand down her shoulder.

"Sweetheart, I promise you that I will protect you and if you're feeling uncomfortable… did you want me to have one of the guys investigate?"

"No!" Clarisse looked horrified. "That would cause even more attention and I don't want that… I don't want you to do anything, I just… I just wanted to tell you how I felt…"

"I appreciate that… I thought that the man was fishing for information," he admitted and she looked shocked.

"Why would he do that?"

"I'm sure he was being polite, initiating conversation and I 'm sure I'm being paranoid… but my security instincts often come into play and I felt, probably wrongly, that he was fishing for information…."

"I thought you handled him quite well."

"I'm used to dealing with people like that before… but, trust me Clarisse, I will NOT let anyone work out who you are….do you trust me?"

"I do, and I know that you will do whatever you can to protect me… maybe I was just being silly, having been in the public eye for so long…."

"That's _why_ your instincts are always sharp- and if you feel uncomfortable, I will listen to that…. but now, let's just enjoy a dinner with the Ambassador and his wife."

"Yes… and Joseph?"

"Yes?"

"You don't need to worry about the Ambassador, I'm sure it will be alright…you don't need to be nervous…but IF he does or says something that is inappropriate…." She suddenly scowled, surprising Joseph with her ferocity. "I will be definitely saying something about it."

"My wife, the warrior," he said lightly, although he did appreciate her words and her own fierce protectiveness of him.

"Yes, your wife the warrior," she said smugly, resting her head on his shoulder. "I have many hidden qualities."

"Which I'm looking forward to discovering…."


	16. The Ambassador's Dinner (Part Two)

_A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me_

Traffic was still quite heavy as they made their way towards the Ambassador's London residence and Joseph couldn't resist complaining about it, half good naturedly and half seriously.

"You would never see this type of traffic in Pyrus."

"You wouldn't see this type of traffic in all of Genovia, dear," Clarisse retorted lightly. "It's not as if we're in a hurry, is it?"

"No, not exactly… but I don't really like being stuck in a car," he grumbled and she chuckled as she lightly patted his arm.

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed," she teased, although she understood Joseph's impatience- even now that he was retired, he was still an active, vital man who couldn't stand being caged up in anyway. "I suppose you don't enjoy spending the last few days in our suite."

"That's different."

"How so?" she chuckled- they were flirting with each other, which she loved, it was something she had never experienced before (certainly not with Rupert) and she had to admit that it surprised her that they were still flirting even after their marriage.

"Well… it's you and I in the suite, we're completely alone and isolated from the world…"

"Quite the socialite, aren't you?"

"I would have thought that you, after all your years in public, would enjoy some isolation from the world."

"I do, but not completely… although I will admit that the novelty of being in traffic, without being rushed through as an important Head of State, is still quite appealing… and yes, you were just about to say that I'm speaking as someone who has never spent much time in traffic jams, and you're right."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Joseph claimed innocently and Clarisse gave him a sidelong glance.

"Really?"

"Really…" but as she kept looking at him, he finally weakened.

"Alright, I was going to say something like that, but it's not your fault… you have spent your life in an extraordinary position and I probably shouldn't crush your experiences when you have never experienced them before… I, on the other hand, am a completely different story- I hate traffic."

"You're not crushing my experiences, I'm sure that I will dislike traffic by the end of our honeymoon… but still…." she gazed out the window at the cars parked on either side of them and, beyond that, the lights of London.

"You don't need to explain anything to me, my love. It's actually quite refreshing to see someone else's perspective…"

"Even mine, as limited as it is?"

"Your perspective may be limited in some ways- in ways that most people take for granted- but in other ways… you have seen and experienced things that most people never have and are probably never likely to."

"As have you."

"True… as your shadow… "

"I've never considered you as my shadow…"

"I know that, but I have still found watching people around you, seeing places almost through your eyes… I've found it interesting."

"Hopefully we will have some shared experiences from now on," Clarisse said as the car began to slow and she realised that they had arrived at the embassy.

"I should hope so, now that we're married."

"Well, we're just about to share another experience in a few moments," she was suddenly distracted and Joseph realised that they had arrived…and he suddenly felt nervous again.

"You will be fine," she suddenly broke into his thoughts with a warm squeeze of the hand. "I promise."

000

"Good evening ma'am, sir," said the butler as he opened the door to them and Clarisse stepped into the warm foyer, Joseph close behind her. He couldn't help but look around as the butler closed the door behind them- it was almost as if he had stepped into the embassy at San Francisco, it was that similar.

"You seem taken aback," Clarisse said in a low voice as she shrugged out of her coat and allowed the butler to take it.

"It's just that… it's very similar to the embassy in San Francisco."

"It is… Rupert insisted that all the embassies capture the same flavour of Genovia- and that included internal decoration…" before she was interrupted by a loud voice calling from the top of the stairs:

"Good evening, Your Majesty!" and they both looked up to see the grey haired, tall sixty five year old Ambassador, Paul Butler, standing at the top of the stairs, clad in a black suit and navy blue tie.

"Good evening, Paul," Clarisse responded with a warm smile as the tall man made his way down the stairs and took her hand in his as soon as he stood in front of them, raising it to his lips.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Your Majesty, looking so happy and well."

"Thank you, Paul- and it's Clarisse now, I'm no longer the reigning Queen."

"Old habits die hard, but I will try and remember," he shrugged with an easy grin before turning his dark eyes towards Joseph. "And this must be your new husband."

"It is," Clarisse said proudly, disentangling her hand from his and turning to Joseph with a smile. "Joseph, this is Paul Butler, the Genovian Ambassador to England; Paul, this is my husband, Joseph Bonnell."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet the man who makes this wonderful woman happy," Paul said sincerely, with the same grin he had given Clarisse, as he offered Joseph his hand and Joseph couldn't help but relax a little as they shook hands. "Believe me, I am not the only one who is pleased to see Her Majesty… sorry, Clarisse… happy again… after Phillipe and Rupert passing on in one year…" he faltered slightly and Joseph suddenly felt uncomfortable but Clarisse didn't seem too bothered. "Oh… I'm sorry," Paul suddenly realised what he had said and Clarisse shook her head.

"It's fine, Paul, don't worry about it. Where's Jane?" she looked around the foyer.

"Just finishing getting dressed, she'll be down in a minute… why don't we go into the library and have a drink before dinner?" he waved towards a door on the right and followed Clarisse into the study, Joseph behind them.

After offering and ordering drinks- wine for Clarisse, Scotch for the men- Paul sat down opposite them in one chair, Joseph and Clarisse sitting together on the sofa.

"I'm glad you could make it tonight. I hope you're not too unhappy with Sebastian letting it slip that you were here on your honeymoon- the boy didn't mean it, believe me."

"No, it's alright… but we're not making any public appearances while we're here, this is an exception."

"Well, I'm glad that you made an exception for us… I was very interested in meeting Joseph…. as your husband, not as your bodyguard."

"You've met before?" Clarisse looked surprised.

"Unofficially, but yes… whenever we visited the palace, he was usually around to ensure that we settled in properly, knew what was going on…that was the sign of a good Head of Security," he winked at Joseph and Joseph knew that he had the other man's approval.

"What's the sign of a good Head of Security?" came from the doorway and the three of them looked up to see an elegant, blonde haired matron in her late fifties, dressed in an ice green dress with long sleeves and a pleated skirt and dripping in diamonds. "Clarisse!" she cried, her expression softening as she set eyes on Clarisse.

"Jane!" Clarisse stood up, arms wide open and the two women embraced as the two men looked on.

"It is so wonderful to see you again… you look wonderful!" Jane pulled away to hold Clarisse at arm's length. "I never thought I would see you this happy again."

"Would you like to meet part of the source of my happiness?" Clarisse offered before she turned back to Joseph, who had stood to join them. "This is my husband, Joseph."

There was a momentary pause as he felt cool blue eyes look him up and down, and he suddenly felt a chill as he realised that she was watching him carefully, as if trying to make up her mind whether he met her approval…and he wasn't quite sure that she really approved of him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Joseph," Jane finally said carefully, holding a hand out to him but barely looking at him, pulling her hand away almost as soon as they touched. "You were Clarisse's bodyguard, I take it?" she added as she moved towards the chair next to Paul and Clarisse and Joseph sat back down on the sofa.

"Yes, I was."

"Quite a step up in the world," Jane suddenly looked at him with intense blue eyes, her expression unreadable and Joseph suddenly knew that he wouldn't get her approval, not at all.

"I guess so," he agreed neutrally, not wanting to give too much away- if she didn't like him on their first meeting, then he wasn't going to give her any additional ammunition. He was also determined that Clarisse wouldn't discover her friend's ambivalence towards him- he didn't want her to lose any of her friends because of him.

"And you are on a…private honeymoon, with no public appearances… you're not going to visit the Queen while you're here?"

"No, Jane, this time is for us," Clarisse stepped in with a smile. "This was my idea, actually."

"Your idea?" both Paul and Jane looked at her in surprise.

"Yes, my idea. Joseph wanted us to spend our honeymoon at the beach house, but I wanted to do something different… I actually wanted to experience a honeymoon where I could do things that other people do… stay at a hotel, order room service, go shopping, visit different tourist areas…"

"And your security team allowed you to do that?" Jane said, her eyes moving from Clarisse back to Joseph.

"It took a little convincing, but we settled on an itinerary and things have gone well, thus far," Clarisse reached over and took Joseph's hand in her own. "All that matters is that Joseph and I have some time away from the palace, just us."

"It sounds… romantic," Jane said, finally moving her gaze away from Joseph back to Clarisse, but Joseph knew that she wasn't going to make this easy for him, not by a long shot.

As a former bodyguard, he had learnt to read people and understand what they were thinking, and he knew quite well, from the few minutes interaction, what Jane Butler was thinking of him- she didn't approve of him, she didn't like him and she thought Clarisse deserved better than him, that she had married 'below' herself and she was going to make sure that she as going to protect her friend.

"It is, quite… I didn't think that Joseph would approve," Clarisse gave her husband a loving look. "But he, to my surprise, did."

"So, how are you enjoying your honeymoon so far?" Paul entered the conversation and Jane relaxed back into her seat but her eyes were still moving between Joseph and Clarisse, as if trying to work out the connection between them.

"It's splendid- we've just been doing what we mentioned before."

"Where are you planning on going next?

"Paris, I think, or maybe Rome, I'm not quite sure," she looked at Joseph with a frown. "We haven't quite decided."

"But I thought you said you had an itinerary," Jane interrupted, aiming the question at Joseph.

"We do, but there is some flexibility in regards to that."

"Do you have a security team with you? I would have thought, with Clarisse being a former Queen..."

"We do, and they're quite a good team," Clarisse stepped in firmly- even she could sense the tension between Jane and Joseph, although she was hoping that Jane was being a little over protective and would eventually warm to Joseph, she wanted her friends to like her husband.

"I'm sure they are," Paul stepped in with a smile. "With Joseph having trained them, I'm sure that they would want to stay on their toes," he gave Joseph another easy grin and Joseph smiled back, relaxing slightly- maybe he was just imagining Jane's reaction to him, maybe she was just being over protective of Clarisse and he couldn't blame her. Maybe things would warm up….

"Dinner is served," Jane said abruptly, suddenly standing up and Joseph looked over to see the butler standing in the door, signalling as such. "Shall we go in to the dining room?"

0

Dinner was delicious, Joseph had to admit- he had never sat down at any state dinners back in Pyrus but he had seen the food that had been served at those dinners and he suspected that Jane had done a similar arrangement for the sake of Clarisse and he was enjoying the food- three courses- as well as several very fine wines and he knew that Jane was doing it for Clarisse.

He was impressed with the food and the conversation between Paul and Clarisse- Clarisse had been right, Paul was definitely a good man and he definitely liked him- but he knew that Jane didn't like him and nothing he said or did would make her warm up to him.

Paul and Clarisse both brought him into the conversation several times when it seemed as if he was sitting there, but he was also content to sit and listen to the conversation pouring around him- there was some business talk that was inevitable, but Joseph stayed right out of it, content to listen and look around him.

"Isn't that right, darling?" Clarisse's voice suddenly broke into his thoughts and Joseph started before realising that Jane, Paul and Clarisse (sitting opposite him) were all looking at him.

"I'm sorry… I missed what you said…."

"I was just saying to Paul that you and Sebastian have had some intense discussions about the economic state of Genovia and Sebastian was quite impressed with your ideas."

"Oh… it was just a few things that I had read in the newspaper about the Genovian lace industry and how there has been a larger order for the lace from other countries….it wasn't anything."

"Still, if you impressed Sebastian, it must have been something," Paul said with a laugh. "Believe me, that man knows almost everything about economics….I wish I had been there to see it."

"As had I," Jane said quietly and Joseph suddenly felt his stomach twist into a knot, although he decided to try and ignore her attitude towards him.

"It was great," Clarisse laughed blithely. "The expression on his face was just…dumbfounded… but he recovered quite quickly."

"It was nothing," Joseph said modestly.

"Nonsense, darling," Clarisse frowned at him over the table. "You impressed me as well, so it was not nothing."

"Coffee, anyone?" Jane offered in the silence that followed and everyone accepted a cup. "So, how is your granddaughter going in Genovia?"

000

It was well after ten o'clock when Clarisse looked at the clock with a yawn.

"I think it might be time to go before we outstay our welcome," she smiled as she slowly stood up from the sofa- after coffee, they had returned to the library and, this time, Jane and Clarisse sat on the sofa while the men had their conversation and Joseph was pleasantly surprised to discover how well read the man was and how interested he was in what Joseph had done over the years and how security had changed over the years.

"You would never outstay your welcome," Paul protested as the other three joined her and Jane added her agreement. "Anytime you're in London, you're more than welcome to call in and see us… both of you."

"Thank you, we would appreciate that," Clarisse said as they stood in the foyer, the two couples standing opposite each other. "Thank you for tonight," she added as she and Jane embraced each other again and Paul and Joseph shook hands.

"It was our pleasure… and we will not be saying a word of your presence here tonight to anyone," he reassured her as Clarisse gave him a kiss on the cheek while Jane offered a limp hand to Joseph.

"Good night," they all said in unison before Clarisse stepped out the door, which had been opened this time by Paul himself, Joseph following her.

"It's gotten a little chilly!" Clarisse gasped in the chill night air before she hurried down to the waiting car and slipped inside.

"Well, it is after ten o'clock at night," he said reasonably as he slid in beside her.

"True… well, hopefully there won't be so much traffic on the way back to the hotel tonight, so we can get back and snuggle down in our suite," Clarisse said, snuggling into him and he smiled.

"That sounds nice."

There was a long, peaceful silence in the cabin as Clarisse rested her head on his shoulder and Joseph looked out the window at the streets, his mind on the dinner that had happened.

"Did you enjoy tonight?" Clarisse asked after a moment and he shrugged.

"Yes, I did. It was a pleasant evening. Did you?"

"I…." but before she could say anything more, she had raised her head from his shoulder, the driver (one of their security team) cleared his throat and Joseph leaned forward- the partition between the two had been let down so their driver had something to say to them.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Sir… we're going to have to go around the back of the hotel tonight."

"Why? Has something happened at the hotel?" Joseph was momentarily alarmed- if there had been a bomb threat or as such, he and Clarisse couldn't possibly return there.

"No… but…."

"Just tell me," Joseph said firmly and now even Clarisse was sitting straight up next to him, listening intently

"The press are there…"

"And? What has that got to do with us?"

"They… they seem to know that you're here…..someone told them that you were here…"


	17. Discovery

_A/N: Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!_

" _They… they seem to know that you're here…..someone told them that you were here…."_

There was a long, tension filled silence in the car after the young bodyguard had informed Joseph and Clarisse that the press had discovered their whereabouts and had camped outside the hotel entrance, hoping to catch a glimpse of them (maybe even talk to them!) before….

" _ **WHAT?!"**_ Joseph suddenly exploded, the tension that had been building inside him for the past few hours, trying to be polite to Jane Butler, the Ambassador's wife, suddenly colliding with the bitter disappointment and anger of the realisation that, despite their best laid plans, someone had discovered where they were and had sold the information to the press.

"I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to upset you… I was just told to tell you before we got to the hotel."

"DO THEY… do they know how the press found out about where we were?" Joseph tried to lower his voice but he was finding it difficult to remain calm, considering what he had just heard.

"Not at the moment, but they are looking into it."

"So what now?"

"As I said, sir, I've been instructed to take the car around to the back entrance so that you can avoid being seen by the press."

"So we're going to be smuggled in like we're criminals!" Joseph snapped, his temper coming to the fore again before Clarisse leaned forward and gently pulled on his arm.

"Joseph… sit back and relax…"

"How can I relax when the press know where we are? If it was Sebastian…"

"It wouldn't be Sebastian."

"How do YOU know?" he snapped, turning to look at her as he allowed her to pull him back towards the seat and he relaxed back against it.

"Sebastian made a silly error before but he wouldn't do something like this, I know it and so do you."

"But… being smuggled into the hotel via the back way… that's something I never imagined would happen on our honeymoon."

"Neither did I, but there's nothing we can do about it, we'll just have to deal with it when we get there."

"Why are you so calm about this? It's frustrating…"

"I know, I know," Clarisse said soothingly. "But this has happened to me on more than one occasion and there's nothing to but to accept it…."

"Fine," he scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "But don't blame me if we're stuck in the suite for the rest of our honeymoon."

"Wouldn't you like that?" she teased, giving him a coy look and, despite his best attempts to stay angry, he couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"Alright, that wouldn't be so bad… but I would be very interested to discover who did this."

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," she said briskly, although she had suspicions of her own.

"I should have realised what you were concerned about with that woman in the elevator…it was probably her, wasn't it?"

"I don't think so, although I'm sure that she would have rung it in as soon as she realised who it was…."

"How…?" but before he could say anymore, they drove past the entrance of the hotel and, sure enough, despite the late hour, there were enough press packed around the entrance that would have prevented them from entering the hotel, even if they had wanted to.

"I am sorry about this," Joseph said penitently as they came to a stop around the back entrance and she shrugged lightly as the rest of their security team (or some of them), who had been hovering outside, waiting for them, made their way towards the car.

"It doesn't matter… actually, it's rather exciting," she said with a smile before the door opened…..

0

Due to the the urgency of the situation- both Joseph and Clarisse were immediately bundled into the empty staff kitchen (thank goodness it was late enough that most staff had gone to bed, Joseph though gratefully, and if there was anyone else around, they wouldn't see a thing), through the empty restaurant and through the empty foyer towards the elevator, where the manager of the hotel met them and followed them onto the elevator.

"Sir… Your Majesty… I am so sorry that this has occurred," the young, around 35 year old manager stammered and Clarisse was fascinated to discover that he reminded her of Phillipe in some ways.

"How DID it happen?" Joseph snapped, his hand tightly clutching Clarisse's.

"I… I'm not sure… all I know was that about half an hour ago, some members of the press came to the front desk and asked if it was true that the former Queen of Genovia was staying at the hotel with her husband…."

"What did you say?"

"I wasn't behind the desk at the time, but the clerk who was there… confirmed it…" he trailed off as Joseph groaned. "Believe me, sir, he has been dealt with appropriately."

"Hopefully appropriately would be termination of employment," Joseph growled as the doors opened at their floor and he almost pulled Clarisse out, trailed by their security team and the manager.

"Yes sir, I can guarantee that will happen….if there's anything we can do…."

"I'll think about it," Joseph said angrily, nodded briefly, as a sigh of dismissal, to the men in black before he unlocked the door and pulled Clarisse in behind him, slamming the door in the manager's face.

"That was rather rude," Clarisse said gently as she disentangled her hand, rubbing it slightly (his grip was firm at times, but tonight….) as Joseph tossed the hotel door card onto the table. "That poor man didn't call the press."

"But he also didn't fire the clerk that did, immediately! I don't care if it was rude or not, Clarisse, they need to know that you cannot be treated like this. You are not an animal or a display to be viewed from behind a window…you deserve to have a private life as well!" Joseph snapped as he walked towards the inbuilt bar and poured himself a drink. "Do you want a drink?"

"No, thank you… but…you didn't have to get so angry with the manager," she said gently as she sat down on the edge of the sofa and watched as he paced.

"I'm not angry at the manager, I'm angry at the press, I'm angry at the stupid so-and so who sold out the information, I'm angry at myself."

"Why are you angry at yourself?"

"Because I should have listened to your intuition about that woman in the elevator… I bet she recognised you and called the press!"

"What would you have done, Joseph? Gone up to her and demanded that she didn't recognise me? That I wasn't who she thought I was? That she wasn't allowed to tell anyone that she had seen us? Yes, that would have helped matters, Joseph."

"Don't talk down to me like you were the Queen and I'm just your bodyguard, Clarisse," he growled, turning and glaring at her. "I wouldn't have done anything like that…"

"What _would_ you have done?"

"How would _**I**_ know? I haven't been in this situation before!" he waved his arm around the room. "Before we got married, my life was so much simpler… not much, but simpler than now! I was a shadow, in the shadows and no one ever saw me…"

"But you're not in the shadows now, people do see you," Clarisse said quietly, understanding his anger. "It's different for you, I understand that…but I'm used to it…"

"You shouldn't be…"

"But I am, so there's no use arguing about it," she said impatiently.

"Yes, but I should have been able to protect you better and I let you down tonight…"

"You DID not," Clarisse said firmly, standing up and walking towards him. "You did NOT let me down, I promise you that."

"Still….I am still going to find out who did this to us…."

"And what? You're going to deal with yourself?"

"Don't mock me, Clarisse," he turned to her with glittering eyes. "Don't you dare…"

"I'm not mocking you, I just want to know what you would do."

"Better for me to know and you to find out," he said gruffly.

"You accuse me of talking down to you, now you're doing the same to me!" Clarisse retorted with more than a touch of irritation.

"Clarisse, I don't need this, I don't need your sarcasm, not after tonight."

"What about tonight?"

"That dinner with your Ambassador and his wife… she clearly doesn't approve of our marriage, she spent most of the night showing that."

"Oh," Clarisse said quietly.

"Oh? Is that all you can say?" Joseph almost barked at her and she flushed slightly. "Your friend showed that she doesn't like your husband and that's all you can say?"

"I know. I know that she wasn't very pleasant to you tonight, and I'm sorry for that," she said softly, looking down at her feet as Joseph stared at her in disbelief.

"You _knew? You knew?"_

"Yes, I did."

"You sat there and made that woman make me feel as if I didn't deserve you, that I was of a lower class than you and… you just sat there and you didn't defend me?"

Joseph couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he didn't know whether he felt more hurt or insulted that his wife wouldn't defend him against one of her friends.

"If she is your friend, I would HATE to see your other friends."

"She's not my friend, she never has been," Clarisse admitted, still looking down at her feet until he almost roughly tilted her chin up so that she was looking at him.

"Then _WHY_ were we at that dinner tonight? Why were you pretending you were all friendly with her, chatting to her about Mia and Pierre, when you knew that?"

"I have always been friendly with the Ambassador, it's not his fault that Jane is… somewhat cool… I was trying to pay my respects to an old friend and a loyal servant to the crown of Genovia. I was hoping that Jane would be… a little more pleasant but…. no, I was disappointed in that."

"Somewhat cool? She was an icicle and yet we still had to _endure_ a meal with them? Are you sure that you weren't even… friendlier with the Ambassador?" he jeered at her and Clarisse stared at him in disbelief- he was angry and possibly a little tipsy, but there was no excuse for what he just intimated… she never thought that Joseph would speak to her like that, ever.

"You wouldn't DARE suggest anything like that to me, don't you dare!"

"Well….why didn't you like Jane? Why didn't you defend me against her?"

"It wasn't a question of not liking her… it was more a question of principle- it's difficult to befriend someone who was one's first husband's mistress for more than eight years… how do you think Paul got his position in London?" Clarisse said stiffly as she moved away from Joseph and looked out the window at the city. "As for defending you, I wanted to, very, very much so but… she is the type of woman who brings up the past and I didn't want her to get into a comparison of you and Rupert… you are the far greater man but she wouldn't have seen it that way.

"Oh," Joseph was suddenly sober. "I didn't realise….I didn't think… I was just insulted about her behaviour and why you didn't defend me, I knew…"

"I would if I could have, you know that."

"I didn't realise that there was a history between the two of you…"

"Of course you wouldn't, I didn't tell you that because I was far too ashamed of Rupert having a mistress for eight years, under my own nose…." Clarisse said bitterly and shrugged of Joseph's proffered hand.

"I'm sorry, so very, very sorry…."

"Well, now you know and hopefully I won't have to see either of them again."

"We still have to discover who sold us out to the press…."

"You can do that, I'm going to bed," she said quietly, turning her back on him and walking towards the bedroom. "It would be best if you tried to solve that problem tonight, it might make sleeping difficult for you otherwise. Good night."

"Good night," Joseph said helplessly, watching her softly close the doors behind her and knew that he was facing an uncomfortable night on the sofa….


	18. Changing Plans

_A/N: Two chapters in two days- have to love a long weekend!_

 _Thanks to all my readers and reviewers!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me!_

The next morning, Clarisse woke up feeling miserable and depressed and, for a moment, she wondered why before she turned to bid good morning to Joseph (and apologise for the previous evening) but was surprised to discover his side of the bed empty and cold.

He had obviously spent the night out on the sofa, she thought with a chill- the first night they had slept apart since their wedding night and she hoped that it wasn't an omen of things to come.

She wondered whether the press was still camped out in front of the hotel front steps, what types of press were there (television, print), whether she would have to visit other dignitaries while they were there… and, more importantly, what she and Joseph were going to do now.

The answer to all these questions would only be revealed, she realised with a sigh, if she got up and went to find Joseph in the other room and she had just covered her nightgown (one of Joseph's favourites) with her robe when one of the bedroom doors opened and she turned to see Joseph standing there, holding a tea tray in his hands, still clad in his wrinkled shirt and trousers- he had obviously slept on the sofa.

"Good morning," he began awkwardly.

"Good morning," she said neutrally, tying the robe around her waist.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Relatively…and you?"

"A little, but I had other things on my mind," he said as Clarisse brushed past him and stepped into the living room.

"Such as?"

"You do remember that the press is camped out on the hotel steps?"

"I do," she responded- their conversation was stilted and polite, as if they were trying to be nice to each other. "Are they still there?" she asked as she accepted her cup of tea from him and he took his coffee before sitting on the same sofa as she, although on the edge of the seat and far away from her.

"Yes, although they have dispersed a little when it became obvious that we weren't going to emerge this morning."

"Do you have any idea who tipped them off?"

"I have a few ideas… and, before you ask, yes, your elevator woman was on television, confirming that she had seen you in the hotel elevator," he said grimly, clenching his jaw and Clarisse suddenly felt apprehensive.

"That was fast."

"Indeed it was, which is telling me that she could be the one to have tipped off the press… but I and my men have another idea."

"Which is?" she looked at him with interest, the first time she had done so since they had sat down on the sofa and he met her gaze with equal interest and alertness.

"This isn't going to sound pleasant, Clarisse…"

"Just _tell me_ ," she said impatiently, setting her tea cup down on the table. "Tell me," she repeated.

"You're not going to like this… but one of my sources informed me that Jane Butler rang the press just before she came downstairs to greet us last night."

"Jane," Clarisse whispered, her face turning pale as she sat back in her chair and Joseph, out of concern, set his cup down and moved closer to her. "Jane. Jane did this?"

"It hasn't been confirmed yet- it could still be your elevator friend…"

"She's not my friend," Clarisse said with a grim smile and Joseph chortled quietly along with her.

"Of course she's not, why should she be your friend?" he joked and this time Clarisse gave him a more genuine smile.

"Thank goodness… but why Jane? I know… I know there was a history between us but… I didn't think she would actually do something like this, especially as she was in the wrong… why would she do something like this, Joseph?" she looked at him with wide eyes, wise eyes but he could tell that, while she had expected something like this, she was hurt and suddenly, to him, the previous night's argument didn't matter in the slightest.

"I don't know, my darling, I honestly don't," he said as he moved closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Maybe she was jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Yes, jealous. I know she doesn't approve of me- and, to be honest, that doesn't bother me- but I think it might be jealousy because you're obviously so happy again, have obviously moved on from Rupert…and maybe she hasn't yet. I don't want to cause you any undue pain but…how long ago was their affair?"

"About ten years ago," Clarisse said quietly.

"I'm surprised I didn't know about it."

"I wanted to tell you, but… it was easier to pretend that he had all these other girlfriends rather than admit that he had a long term mistress."

"Do you think the boys knew?"

"Yes," she said simply, looking down at her hands and Joseph decided not to push her any further- it was clear that it was a painful subject for her. "So… do you really think she's jealous of me?" she turned to him with a small, triumphant smile and Joseph had to laugh.

"I think so… no, I know so. I have spent most of my working life watching people and I've learnt how to read them better than they know themselves…and yes, she's jealous."

"Good," Clarisse said smugly- she knew that she was being uncharitable but she had the sense that Jane had had her comeuppance. "Good," before she snuggled into his arms.

"I didn't think you had that side to you, my darling," and she chuckled as she gazed up at him.

"This is another side of me that you're discovering," she teased.

"As I have found out…."

Just then, Joseph's mobile phone began buzzing and, with a sigh, Joseph stood up and walked over to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Joe?"

"Scott? What are you calling for?" he was a little surprised that Scott was calling him today but, then again, he knew that it was inevitable.

"I honestly don't know what happened there yesterday…." Scott's voice sounded harried and rushed and Joseph couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

"Scott, Scott, it's fine. There's nothing you did that caused this…"

"But…"

"We've already worked it all out here, Scott. It's fine…."

"Did you work out who it was?"

"Yes, we did… Ambassador Butler's wife," Joseph said briefly as he turned to look at Clarisse again- she was getting over the shock of being betrayed (and he could understand why she was upset, the woman had already betrayed her once by conducting a long-term affair with the King) but she was obviously upset.

"Damn, that….what are you going to do now?"

"There's obviously nothing we can do- we do have the evidence from the paper she contacted personally but she'll deny it through and through."

"Stupid woman."

"Indeed."

"So, what's going to happen now? Are you going to stay there… or is the itinerary going to have to change?"

"We haven't discussed that as such," Joseph responded, his eyes still on Clarisse as, pretending to ignore him, she took a sip of her tea but he knew that she was listening intently. "But I'd say we're going to have to go with latter option."

"Which means…"

"I think we're going to have to leave some destinations off our itinerary, much as I hate to admit it…but I'll get back to you about that…"

Almost as soon as he hung up the phone, about to go back and sit next to his wife again, the phone buzzed again.

"Hello?"

"Joe?"

"Princess?"

Clarisse's head whipped around at her name and Joseph smiled reassuringly at her.

"Yes… I just called because I heard about what happened and I wanted to make sure that you're both okay."

"We're both fine, Mia, I promise. We just had to sneak into the hotel via the back way… it's was rather exciting, actually…."

Clarisse was chuckling at that, he noticed and he knew that she knew that he was fibbing to their granddaughter.

"I'm sure it was. How's Grandma?"

"She's fine… would you like to speak to her?"

"No, no, that's okay. I have to go anyway, I'm due at a session of parliament, but I just wanted to call and check that you're both alright."

"We are, and thank you for the call. We both appreciate it."

"How's Mia?" Clarisse asked once he hung up and he smiled at her.

"She's fine. She just called to find out what was going on, how we were. She didn't have time to talk to you, she had to go to a session of parliament."

"Still, it was thoughtful to call," Clarisse replied as she stood up and raised her arms to the ceiling, stretching, before walking over to the window, pushing open the curtain a little way and peering through, down to the street.

"Is there anyone still there?" Joseph asked as he poured himself another cup of coffee and she nodded as she dropped the curtain back into place and turned away.

"It looked as if it had been quiet before…"

"It had been."

"But it looks as if the papers have sent all their journalists back here to ensure that they get a picture."

"Well, that's something they're not going to get," he said grimly and Clarisse smiled.

"I wouldn't have thought you would let them….but… what's going to happen now?"

"That's what we've got to discuss," Joseph said with a heavy sigh as he sat back down on the sofa and pulled her down next to him. "We have three options open to us."

"And they are?"

"One- we can go downstairs, let them have a couple of pictures of us and hope that they will leave us alone… which I doubt they will, particularly once you will be invited to visit other diplomats while in London…"

"Including Queen Elizabeth."

"True… or two; we can stay upstairs here until the news dies down."

"That might happen but it wouldn't be fair on the other patrons who are staying here…"

"Including our friends from the elevator… that's quite a hardship," Joseph said sarcastically and Clarisse had to laugh out loud at that.

"What's the other option? Return to Genovia?" she tried to hide the disappointment in her voice but Joseph could hear it.

"Not necessarily… I was just thinking… that we stay here for a day or so longer, just regrouping and making a few decisions… but I was thinking that we can just go to one of our other destinations…"

"But Paris or Rome won't be in the mix, will they?"

"I never said that…"

"But we would be much safer in less populated areas, wouldn't we?" she persisted and Joseph sighed again.

"Yes, that's true… but I don't want you to be disappointed."

"I don't want _us_ to be constantly in the limelight- we have enough of that when we're in Pyrus- we're just a normal couple trying to enjoy our honeymoon… so, wherever you decide we should go, I will accept that," Clarisse said formally, sounding still very much like the Queen she had been… or, Joseph, thought to himself, still was.

"We should decide _together_ ," he corrected gently.

" _Together,"_ she echoed with a small smile and they shared a warm, expressive gaze.

"So… we have had rain here in England… which would you prefer: sunshine or snow?"

"There have been a few good days while we've been here," she argued almost indignantly.

"A few… but not as many as I hoped we would have."

"The weather shouldn't matter, my love, what should matter is that we're together," she chided with a twinkle in her eye.

"True, but still…"

"Ever the perfectionist," she teased and he shrugged.

"I can't help myself… so, sunshine or snow?"

"Hmmm…" she frowned. "Such a very hard decision… what would you choose?"

"I'm asking you."

"That's just deflecting," Clarisse said with a smile. "So, what would you want?"

"To be honest, the sun really doesn't suit me… I would much prefer the snow."

"To go skiing?"

"To snuggle up to you in front of the fire, snuggling in bed, walks in the snow…."

"That does sound appealing," she agreed. "Most people wouldn't expect us to go to the snow on our honeymoon- usually most honeymooners want to go into the sun."

"We're hardly the most normal of honeymooning couples," he joked lightly. "We could always go away later, spend the summer on a tropical island...but I'm talking about _now_ ," he persisted and Clarisse had to force herself back to the matter at hand- _sun or snow?_

"Well….?"

"Well what?" she said with a flirtatious smile and Joseph laughed.

"You know very well what."

"Well… I think the thought of snow and snuggling sounds very appealing….let's do that… although I wished we could have been able to walk through some of the streets of my favourite cities, see some of the sights, experience it as tourists…" she sighed regretfully and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed his lips onto the top of her head.

"One day, my darling, one day."


	19. Going Home

_A/N: I know this story may have finished a little abruptly but there are potentials for sequels in the future; I just felt that I could go far enough with this story and what mattered to me was that they had at least a little bit of an 'undercover honeymoon'. Maybe, one day, there could be more to the story._

 _Thanks to all my readers and reviewers- you all rock!_

 _The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me_

They were forced to remain undercover and in their hotel suite for the next few days- although, thankfully, the press were beginning to think that the rumour started by the Ambassador's wife wasn't true, that she had simply been making up a story, and Joseph and Clarisse were both relieved to discover that the press began to disperse a day or two after the dinner.

"Your friend won't like that, being branded a liar," Joseph said over their breakfast, and Clarisse wrinkled her nose at him.

"She wasn't my friend, she never has been and she never will be. I am surprised that Paul hasn't called to apologise, though."

"He has," Joseph said simply and Clarisse looked at him in surprise.

"He has? When? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Our team took his messages and passed them on to me."

"Why didn't you pass them on to me?" she looked a little displeased and Joseph was quick to respond.

"I wasn't quite sure how you would react- his wife had an affair with your husband, welcomed you (not your second husband) with open arms and then sold you out to the press. Surely you wouldn't want to keep a little distance from him after that?"

"I suppose you are right," she sighed, sitting back in her chair. "But what did he say?"

"He was incredibly apologetic, said he didn't know that she would do something like that and he would, with your permission, release a statement denying that we even were there at all…"

"That wouldn't work at all, he would be seen as a liar and it wouldn't help his cause with parliament."

"Is he going to be in serious trouble over this?"

"No, because that would mean that we would have to reveal that we had left the country with the minimum of security staff and not letting anyone else know where we were going… I know that some of our honoured members would NOT be pleased about that."

"We could say that it was all my idea."

"You're a very gallant man, Joseph," she smiled at him warmly. "But I'm not going to let you lie to the members of parliament- they are already wary of you as it is…."

"I can't see why," he feigned innocence and she laughed out loud at him.

"Neither can I," she joined in the fun. "You are so much more of a gentleman than most of them put together…."

"I can always try and change to their idea of gentlemen hood…"

"If you do that, I will divorce you," she said with another long, rich, throaty laugh. "I was married to one of those gentlemen the first time, I have no compunction to do that again with my second marriage."

"Just as well."

"Why?"

"Because I don't think I could actually stand being around them, being considered their friend for too long, knowing what I know about them."

"No, I don't think I could tolerate you being like them anyway."

There was a pause before Joseph looked at Clarisse again- there was a question that he had been thinking about since Clarisse had told him about the affair, but he hadn't dared to bring up the subject- until now.

"Did Paul know about the affair between Jane and Rupert?"

"I don't think so," she began slowly. "It was obvious to most people but…I'm not sure Paul was observant as others… and it was possible that he was already… occupied himself."

"Really?" Joseph couldn't believe that the amiable man they had shared dinner with only a few days earlier would have relationships outside his marriage. He couldn't imagine doing that, particularly with Clarisse, but still… Paul was a different man to him.

"Really," Clarisse nodded with a small smile. "Rupert was never honest about his own relationships but he had no compunction telling me about the affairs of his friends and members of parliament."

"He told you thinks like that?" Joseph looked appalled- he was no gentleman if he told his wife about the peccadillos of the other men he worked with. "How could he tell you something that like?"

"He never gave me any details, he just intimated that certain people were having affairs with other people's wives…"

"The whole parliament sounds like it was just one big soap opera."

"There were men who were faithful to their wives- and they were usually the ones who were friendly with me and I was friendly with their wives- but yes, there were often a few dramatic moments at dinners and other occasions…"

"But why would Rupert tell you about them?"

"I guess he assumed that I would enjoy the gossip," she shrugged.

"And did you?"

"Not particularly, although there were a few surprised that I didn't expect… besides, I heard a lot of the gossip from the maids…"

"Those maids…" he muttered under his breath and Clarisse chuckled.

"They do know a lot, but they could also argue that you know just as much, if not more."

"It was my business to know everything that went on in the palace, just to make sure that everything ran smoothly."

"I'm sure you knew more than I did."

"Indeed, but you didn't need to know any of that… you were busy enough as it was."

"Thankfully, there's not all that much to worry about now…although I will help Mia as much as I can, when I can."

"As will I," he leaned over and pressed his hand on top of hers and they shared a moment before Joseph pulled his hand away and stood up to stretch.

"So… what are we going to do now?"

"I'm sure you have some ideas," Clarisse said coyly, standing up and copying his movements- she was still wearing her robe and, as she stretched her arms up, he caught sight of the silky nightgown she wore underneath (one she had replaced when they had risen this morning) and when she gave him a knowing smile, catching him looking at her, he knew that she was playing with him.

"Oh I do… Indeed I do…" he said with a low growl, slowly moving towards her and Clarisse gave a squeal before slowly backing up towards the bedroom, her eyes on his, both of them enjoying the playful moment between them.

000

"I would like to see Paul," Clarisse said much, much later when they had finally gotten up and dressed and were ensconced on the sofa again, the television background noise in their discussion.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, my love? If he comes, he could attract the press… Jane could come…."

"I know all that but… despite what Jane did to me and what Paul did in his private life, I was always fond of him and I want him to know that I'm not angry at him."

"I'm not angry at him either, but…."

"He won't say a word to anyone, I can assure you of that."

"How do you know?"

"Because, despite our friendship, he knows that I have the influence to have him recalled back to Genovia after this, remove him from his position and if there's something that he doesn't want to lose, that would be his position."

"What do you expect to gain from a meeting with him?"

"Nothing… I just want him to know that I'm not angry with him… I know it's hard to explain," she continued, turning to look at him seriously. "I just… "

"It's alright, I may not understand but I do appreciate your gesture of good will… do you think Jane will come with him?"

"I doubt it..." her jaw tightened and, for a moment, she looked like a Queen again. "I think she and I both know that I have the upper hand now and that what I know about her could ruin her position in society, both here and in Genovia."

"But you're too big hearted to do anything about it," he reached over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I don't know…"

"I do and we both know that I'm right."

0

Two hours later, there was a timid knock on the door and Joseph was the one to open the door and in stepped a nervous looking Paul- thankfully, he had come alone.

"Clarisse, I…." he began but Clarisse, still seated on the sofa, held up an elegant hand to stop him from continuing.

"Paul, there's nothing you need to say. I need to know- did you know she was going to do this?"

"No, I had no idea," he shook his head, relaxing slightly but still aware of the fact that Joseph was standing beside him, slightly distrustful. "I honestly had no idea that she would do something like that…I thought she and you…"

"Paul, you and I both know that we weren't friends, never had been and you also suspect why that is…" she looked at him closely and Paul opened his mouth to protest for a moment before closing it and looking down at his hands.

"Yes, I did."

"When did you find out?"

"When His Majesty, may he rest in peace, sent for me and informed me that I would be the Genovian Ambassador in London until my retirement or he recalled me… and I suppose, at this point in time, that may be sooner than I think…"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, and I'm fairly certain that if Her Majesty is satisfied with your work, then there will be no problems."

"Oh…" he looked confused. "Then… why did you want to see me?"

"I know you wanted to apologise to me and I wanted… I wanted to apologise to you as well."

"What? Why?" Paul looked even more confused as Clarisse stood and walked slowly towards him.

"I'm sorry for His Majesty's behaviour with your wife… you didn't deserve it…."

"You didn't deserve it either, ma'am."

"I guess we were both the faulted parties… but I wanted to say I'm sorry anyway."

"Clarisse," he stepped forward and took one of her hands in his own, pressing it warmly. "You don't have to apologise for your husband's behaviour… His Majesty, of course," he added hastily, shooting a glance at Joseph who was still standing at his side. "I understand… my wife…."

"It's alright, Paul," she raised a hand to stop him from talking again- she didn't want to talk about Jane, she felt sorry enough for him to be married to her. "I just wanted to tell you that there's nothing you did wrong… and whether you wanted to join us for a drink."

"I would like to… Joseph?" he looked at the man of his generation almost nervously and Joseph cleared his throat.

"As my wife has said, you had no part in what happened, so… yes, I would like you to join us for a drink," before he offered his hand to Paul and he took it, shaking it gratefully.

0

"So… are we going to make a move in the next few days?" Joseph asked much later when they had retired for the evening and were looking at moonlight streaming in through the curtains.

"Mmm?" Clarisse murmured sleepily from her position resting on his bare chest.

"You mentioned that you wanted to go to the snow… are you ready to go to the snow?"

"Oh," Clarisse moved and sat up, switching on the light and looking down at her husband. "About that…"

"What?"

"I know we're supposed to be enjoying an undercover honeymoon, and we have thus far but…"

"But?" Joseph sat up next to her, eyeing her intently.

"I've very much enjoyed this time away- staying in a hotel, ordering room service, doing some touristy things, going shopping…."

"But?" Joseph urged.

"Joseph," she looked at him almost timidly. "I want to go home…."

"For Mia?"

"No, for us. We have had some fun here, but we need to let the attention die down, allow people to forget…and I have to admit that I've been feeling a little homesick…"

"We can always…."

"I know, Joseph… but I want to go home and go to our cabin in the snow…there's even more privacy there… and we don't have to worry about the press or sticky beaks on the and maybe one day, in the near future, we may be able to attempt this again… and we can even call it our second honeymoon," she gave him a coy smile before it slipped away. "But… I'm sorry if I disappointed you…."

"Disappointed me, never!" he said, wrapping his arms around her and resting his lips on her forehead. "You could never do that…"

"But this trip…."

"I did this for you, so you could enjoy some time away from Genovia and the palace… all that matters to me is that we're together."

"Really?"

"Really."

"But…."

"No buts," he pulled away and pressed his finger against his lips. "You want to go home, I want to go home… let's go home!"


End file.
